Police have detained and charged Chimezie Nwabueze, a 28-year-old Nigerian living in Toronto, Canada, with scamming two victims out of almost $600,000 in an online romance scam.
The suspect falsely claimed to own a “Oil Rig” in the Middle East and desperately needed money, promising repayment and a meeting in the future. According to a statement posted on the Peel Regional Police’s website, two victims thought they were in a real romantic relationship with the suspect between June 2021 and July 2023 after meeting him on an online dating site.
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“The victims never met him in person; they only spoke to him electronically.” The statement was partially read.
The suspect allegedly stopped communicating with the victims when they confronted him, and they never received compensation for the $610,382 in losses.
According to the police, Nwabueze was charged on April 28 with one count each of instructing the commission of an offense for criminal organization, uttering forged documents, laundering proceeds of crime, and participating in criminal organization activities. Additionally, he was charged with two counts each of possession of property obtained through criminal activity and fraud exceeding $5,000.
He will subsequently appear before the Ontario Court after being freed on an undertaking.
