EFCC said Thursday it had
returned 10,000 euros to a French man who thought he met a beautiful Nigerian
woman online willing to move to France... only to find out it was a scam.
The man, identified as Francois Mercade, "alleged that
he met a Nigerian beauty by the name 'Kate Williams' on the Internet sometime
in 2009 and they developed a relationship which was to culminate in
marriage," the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said.
"'Williams' was to
relocate to join Mercade in France, to consummate the relationship.
"'Williams', who purportedly did some jobs for an
unnamed company in Nigeria, came up with a story that the company refused to
pay 'her' for the job done."
The supposed wife-to-be told him that before she could
relocate to France, she needed money to hire a lawyer to deal with her employer
and to get travel documents, the EFCC said.
Eventually, Mercade wired 25,000 euros ($28,000) over to
enable his beloved to join him, but soon realised he had been conned.
"Kate Williams" was none other than Omodara Adedapo
Oluseye, a male student at a college of agriculture in southwestern Nigeria,
the EFCC said.
He had an accomplice, and both have since been arrested and
jailed for one year.
The EFCC however only recovered part of the money Mercade was
deceived into paying and wired the 10,000 euros to the victim.
Internet love scams targeting gullible suitors in rich
countries are common, and a large number of these have originated in Nigeria.
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