Nigerian man arrested in Turkey for $2.5 million romance scam

A Nigerian man named Kingsley O. has been arrested in Turkey. He is accused of cheating a dentist from Hong Kong out of $2.5 million in a romance scam.

Turkish news site Haberler reported on Friday that Kingsley and four others were caught in Esenyurt, a district in Istanbul Province. This followed an investigation into an online fraud scheme that lasted two years.

The report said Kingsley pretended to be an American businessman called Richard. He met the victim, Siu P.Y.F., online in 2020 and promised to marry her.

Investigators stated that they kept a long-distance relationship through phone calls. During this time, Kingsley convinced the woman that he was involved in a major investment project in Istanbul and needed her financial help.

Thinking they would eventually get married, the dentist sent a total of $2.5 million in parts to various bank accounts in Turkey from 2020 to 2022.

After receiving the money, Kingsley allegedly stopped communicating with her. This made the victim report the case to the authorities in Hong Kong.

The report said that initial investigations by Hong Kong police did not lead to any results. This pushed the victim to hire a Turkish lawyer and file a complaint with the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.

After this, the Istanbul Police Department’s Fraud Bureau traced the bank accounts that received the money and arrested five account holders.

While four of the suspects denied knowing anything about the transactions, one of them reportedly told investigators that he gave the money he received to a Nigerian man he knew as Richard.

This confession led police to Kingsley, who they believe is the main person behind the scam.

He was arrested during a police operation and taken in for questioning. The report mentioned that Kingsley denied the charges during the interrogation.

Kingsley and the other five suspects were later taken to court under heavy security after police wrapped up their investigation. Authorities claim that Kingsley used a fake identity to trick the victim into giving him money under the pretense of a romantic relationship and a planned marriage.