Five men of Ghanaian descent were convicted and jailed for a £2m romance fraud and money laundering scheme in the UK
Five men have been imprisoned for their involvement in romance fraud and money laundering, with losses totaling over £2m.
The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed 40 victims between 2017 and 2024, with an additional 59 suspected victims. Fawaz Ali, 27, Ebenezer Tackie, 42, and Michael Quartey, 28, were found guilty of money laundering and sentenced to four years and 10 months, four years and six months, and five years and six months, respectively, at Guildford Crown Court.
Kwabena Edusei, 37, received a seven-year and 10-month sentence, while George Melseaux, 40, was sentenced to three years and nine months.
One victim stated: ‘I lost my home as I was unable to afford the rising bills.’
Being a victim of a scam has filled me with embarrassment and shame, causing me to hide the truth from others and deceive those closest to me.
I have become increasingly wary of forming close relationships with men, as I am constantly plagued by doubts about their intentions and fear potential scams.
Another victim poignantly stated: “This experience has profoundly impacted my life, eroding my trust in others and requiring years of healing.”
“How do individuals justify their actions, considering the profound harm and lasting damage they inflict upon others?”
According to the CPS, victims were deceived into providing financial assistance to cover fictitious expenses, including fabricated fines and urgent travel costs, and subsequently transferred funds into the perpetrators’ bank accounts or sent cash via postal mail.
“The men used flirtatious language to manipulate people into thinking they were entering into a genuine, loving and caring relationship”, a CPS spokesperson said.
The majority of the transactions were conducted in the UK with some overseas victims identified throughout Europe, the USA and Australia.
“The criminals here showed complete disregard for their victims, who were met on an online dating website for the sole purpose of exploiting and scamming them out of money, said Jane Mitchell, a specialist CPS prosecutor.
“They used grooming tactics to gain trust, which caused terrible emotional distress to victims.”
