A Nigerian romance scammer has been arrested after being caught by another scammer
A Nigerian man who masqueraded as a woman online to cheat men out of their savings has been sentenced to 15 years in a US prison. And incredibly, it turns out that he was caught after accidentally trying to scam another scammer.
Saheed Sunday Owolabi, 35, was sentenced after a trial in Wilmington, North Carolina, where he was found guilty of conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering.
According to evidence presented at trial, Owolabi had been posing as a woman online to form relationships with men across the United States. He and his co-conspirators used fake online relationships to convince their victims to hand over money and personal information. The bank accounts given to the victims were then used to launder money in other frauds.
Owolabi’s crimes go beyond romantic fraud. During the COVID-19 crisis, he and his co-conspirators were able to obtain unauthorized information about the sale of a house, and sent fake emails telling their victim to transfer funds to a bank account they controlled.
In total, more than US $1.5 million was allegedly taken to Nigeria by victims across the United States – including one victim in North Carolina who lost more than US $120,000.
It was not easy for Owalbi, however. Investigators found evidence that the fraudster was no more than delusional.
At one point, Owolabi was in the middle of trying to get his “love” target to send him money, when it turned out that the person he was talking to was not only a vulnerable victim – but also a fraud.
When the two realized that they both worked in the same “industry” the conversation went from following romance scripts to criticizing Owolabi’s novice approach, with one scammer reportedly making fun of his game and telling him to “learn how to do a clean job.”
The obvious implication is that one fraudster felt that Owolabi’s technical and social engineering skills were inferior to someone who believed he was a top international fraudster.
While the interaction sounded funny, the chat logs actually seemed to hurt Owolabi’s defense as they proved that he was not a “middle man,” and that he knew what he was doing as a leading member of the gang and was actively trying to improve his “craft.”
Owolabi was also not shy about enjoying the benefits of his success as a fraudster. During his sentencing, prosecutors revealed photos found on his phone when he was arrested, showing how he used his stolen wealth to buy expensive things.
Chief US District Judge Richard E. Myers II ruled that Owolabi was the mastermind of a massive fraud, which caused great financial hardship to the victims.
Romance scams remain among the most financially damaging forms of cybercrime, exploiting people’s emotions rather than technological vulnerabilities.
Victims of romance scams are not fooled by malware. Instead, they are deceived into believing that someone really cares about them.
For Owolabi, the next 15 years in a US federal prison will give him plenty of time to reflect on what it means to be incarcerated.
