Posted by By OLUWATOYOSI OGUNSEYE on
A Nigerian fraudster has made a fool of an American loverboy, who was looking for a relationship through the Internet.
A Nigerian fraudster has made a fool of an American loverboy, who was looking for a relationship through the Internet.
The Nigerian man, working from a Cyber Café in Lagos kept Gregory Griffin in a fools paradise as he pretended to be the pretty British woman, whose picture was sent to the American.
Madly in love, Griffin became a sucker as he was ready to pay any price to have the angelic Briton identified as Sandra Williams. So he began to send 'her" money everytime 'she" asked for it. At the last count, he had sent over $3,000, about half a million Naira.
To get more money from the American, the Nigerian impostor pretended to be one Dr Morris, who sent a mail to Griffin telling him that Sandra had been involved in a terrible accident and she needed immediate surgery.
The fraudster pleaded that Griffin should send more dollars because Sandra was on the danger list.
Disturbed by the message, Griffin had sent a mail to the British Deputy High Commission lamenting the plight of his lover in Nigeria.
Officials at the commission investigated and found out that there was no Briton called Sandra Williams in Nigeria.
A spokesperson at the commission said: 'We immediately knew that Griffin had fallen prey to fraudsters. Sandra's photos were too professional to have been taken by an amateur. They were obviously downloaded from the Webster. It was definitely a scam. We advised him not to send any more money to Nigeria.
'Unfortunately, we doubt if any money would be recovered as addresses and names are bound to be false.
'Sandra also made a mistake of calling us the British Embassy. We are known as the British High Commission. There is no way a Briton could make such a mistake."
The 'doctor" who mailed Griffin claimed to be a surgeon at St. Telore Hospital in Lagos and was treating Sandra for ribs dislocation.
One of the love messages, that Griffin had received from Sandra, says: 'I knew you are a very good and caring man. My heart didn't fool me. I chose the right person."
Griffin had replied: 'I would like to get to know you. What are your plans for me? Did you get the money? I wanted to help you."
Some obscene messages were also exchanged between the duo.
Detectives at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba, were alerted about the cyber crime by the Deputy High Commission in Lagos.
The investigators' findings have shown that the fraudster(s) could be operating from the Surulere or Ijeshatedo area of Lagos.