EFCC Arrests Two over Romance Scam (Photo)

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibadan Zonal Office has arrested the duo of Timothy Adegbaji Ademiju and Taiye Shittu Habibulahi, a student of Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife, Osun State, for offences bordering on internet fraud and obtaining by false pretence. 

Ademiju, 36, a staff of a new generation bank, allegedly struck a deal with a student of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba, Ondo State, one David Olaoluwa Adesubokan, also known as Opinion (now at large), to fleece one Giacomo Rossi, an Italian, of huge sum of money while posing as a lady by name, Grace Thomas.

Ademiju allegedly used his position as the officer in charge of Western Money Transfer to process the fraudulent transactions coming from the Italian to ‘Thomas’. 

The arrest followed a petition from the victim alleging that he was contacted on a dating site by one ‘Thomas’ posing to be an American Nursing student from OAU, and was in dire need of financial assistance in form of a loan to complete her studies. The loan which ‘Thomas’ promised to pay back was a decoy to trick Rossi into the fraudulent game. 

According to the petitioner, he had offered monetary assistance, paid in tranches, to the tune of €2,400 (Two Thousand Four Hundred Euros) which is equivalent of N1,221,600.00 (One Million, Two Hundred and Twenty One Thousand, Six Hundred Naira) before it dawned on him that it was a scam. 

The suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigation into the matter is concluded.