7 Scammed $1.5M With Fake Dating Accounts: Feds

ATLANTA, GA — Seven Nigerian nationals — most of them living in metro Atlanta — have been charged with scamming people for more than $1.5 million using phony online dating profiles.

A federal grand jury has indicted the seven on charges ranging from wire fraud to identity theft in what the U.S. Attorney's office calls an "online romance fraud" scheme.

"The defendants in these cases allegedly used fake personas on online dating websites to trick lonely individuals into giving them money," said U.S. Attorney Byung J. "BJay" Pak. "The defendants would allegedly spend weeks cultivating online relationships with their victims before defrauding them. Some victims lost hundreds of thousands of dollars from their retirement savings or inheritances. Users of online dating websites should be aware of such scams and should exercise extreme caution if asked for money by anyone online or over the phone."

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According to prosecutors, the seven created phony dating profiles on popular dating websites. They used photos of attractive men and women that, sometimes, were actually public figures such as government officials or models.

They're accused of using those fake online personas to target users on dating sites, expressing strong romantic interest in them. According to prosecutors, they often "targeted vulnerable individuals who possessed financial assets and in some cases spent weeks and months cultivating romantic relationships with them through online messaging, text messaging, and voice calls."

After gaining the victims' affection and trust, prosecutors say, the scammers would tell false stories to get them to send money. They often claimed to be working overseas and in need of money to get back to the United States or complete business deals.

The indictments charge the defendants with 60 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, identity theft and use of false passports. The accused are:

• Olu Victor Alonge (a.k.a. Serge Damessi, Didier Baraze, Mobo Marcus Adeh, Ayo Baraze, Nicolas Soglo), 34, of Newnan
• Ugochukwu Lazarus Onebunne, (a.k.a. Policap Tizhe, Saheed Ademoha), 41, of Douglasville
• Olajide Olalekan Adara, (a.k.a. Kelvin Mensah), 33, of Loganville
• Joshua Adedeji Ipoade, 28, of Atlanta
• Oladunni Temitope Oladipupo, 24, of Lynn, Massachusetts
• Two other defendants who prosecutors say are fugitives. Their identities remain sealed.

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