Online Romance Scam

A woman from North Texas is warning others about the dangers of online romance scams after losing $75,000 in a worldwide scam. She hopes to prevent others from falling victim to similar scams by sharing her story.
Over two dozen victims have been targeted in an online love interest scam that resulted in a widow losing tens of thousands of dollars.

The scam involved more than $1 million in stolen money being sent from North Texas to Nigeria, with additional funds being transferred to Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

One of the victims, who lost money to the scam, expressed embarrassment and stated that she is not a foolish person, but the scammers had a well-planned and executed scheme.

After losing $75,000 to a group of Nigerian gang members in an online love interest scam, a 70-year-old widow requested FOX 4 to keep her identity anonymous. 
According to the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office, Ifeanyichukwu Obi, the ringleader of the "Yahoo Boys," has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

"They were ready for me," the victim said.

[REPORTER: "They had a lot of documents ready to make themselves seem official?"]

"Yes, they did. They really did," the victim responded.

The Colleyville Police Department received a tip in 2019 about suspicious activity at a UPS store, where an elderly customer was repeatedly bringing packages filled with cash to various addresses. Sergeant Dara Nelson of the department explained that a detective investigated the situation and discovered that the customer was being scammed by an imposter.
"These people were praying on elderly widows or widowers," Nelson said.

The scammers utilized social media to form intimate relationships with their victims and eventually convinced them to send money. 
The Colleyville Police Department, through investigation, identified a crime ring of four individuals in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area who were involved in laundering the scam money, making purchases, and receiving and sending the funds, according to Sgt. Dara Nelson.
In 2019, Ifeanyichukwu Obi, who resided in Grand Prairie at the time, transferred $1.3 million in stolen funds to Nigeria and purchased trucks with the money. Over 24 individuals were identified as victims by the investigators.
"It’s definitely a large crime ring that spans across multiple countries," Nelson added.

"Pulled every heart string since they possibly could pull," the victim said.

After several weeks of communication, the online scammer of the 70-year-old widow convinced her that he was about to secure a significant work contract but required a loan in the meantime. 
The widow revealed that the scam appeared so genuine that she even sought prayer assistance from her church members.

The District Attorney’s Office is still pursuing cases against three other individuals who have been indicted in the scam. In light of her experience, the 70-year-old widow warns others to exercise caution when communicating with people online and to report any instances where money is requested. 

She also confessed how easy it was to be taken in by the scammers, saying, "You just get sucked into it."