Scammer with two GTB accounts defrauds victim with over N7m

*Gets one-year prison sentence for fraud

Etim Ekpimah

A scammer, one Omoshue Oghenebrorhien had defrauded his victims with over N7m through his two accounts with Guaranty Trust Bank PLC.

Oghenebrorhien was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Makurdi Zonal Command before Justice Abdu Dogo of the Federal High Court, sitting in Makurdi, Benue State, on a charge of criminal impersonation and obtaining money by false pretences.

The defendant whose specialty is romantic scam allegedly pretended to be a woman from Ireland and defrauded the victim of about N750.000.

About N7 million had passed through his two accounts with GTBank before he was nabbed.

The charge reads: “That you, Omoshue Oghenebrorhien sometime in February, 2021 impersonated one Miss Nicole James from Kinsale Northern Ireland through her Facebook username and WhatsApp account number +14637107340 by inducing one Mr. Adaa Augustine to deliver to you the total sum of N728,000.00 (Seven Hundred and Twenty Eight Thousand Naira) only transferred to you in tranches via your GT Bank Account No. 0459315019 and No. 3162683256 with intent to gain advantage for yourself and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 22(2) (b) (I) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015 and punishable under sub-section (iv) of the same Act.”

Head, Media and Publicity, EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, said the defendant pleaded ‘guilty’ when the charge was read to him. The prosecution counsel, M. Yusuf reviewed the facts of the case and urged the court to convict the defendant.

Oghenebrorhien was convicted and sentenced to one-year imprisonment with an option of fine of N750, 000. The court ordered that the two GT bank accounts used by the convict in committing the crime be closed and the balance standing in the accounts be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.