Canadian police have arrested Chimezie Nwabueze, a Nigerian man based in Toronto, in connection with a romance scam that defrauded two victims of more than $600,000.
The arrest was made by the Peel Regional Police Fraud Bureau, which believes the suspect may be part of a wider criminal network exploiting online dating platforms.
Peel Regional Police, the suspect, Chimezie Nwabueze, 28, is facing multiple criminal charges following an extensive fraud investigation.
“Investigators from the Peel Regional Police Fraud Bureau have arrested and charged an individual in connection to an alleged online romance scam, totaling more than $600,000.”
Nwabueze has been charged with the following offences:
- Fraud over $5000 (x2)
- Possession of property obtained by crime (x2)
- Utter forged documents
- Laundering proceeds of crime
- Participate in the activities of criminal organization
- Instructing the commission of offence for criminal organization
He was released on an undertaking and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton at a later date.
Dating platform fraud
The fraud occurred between June 2021 and July 2023, during which two victims believed they were in a romantic relationship with the suspect after meeting him via an online dating platform.
The suspect allegedly fabricated an elaborate story, claiming to own an oil rig in the Middle East and urgently needing money, with promises to repay and meet in person. However, the victims never met him physically and only communicated online.
“The suspect fraudulently claimed to own an ‘Oil Rig’ in the Middle East and urgently needed money, promising repayment and an eventual meeting.”
After being confronted by the victims, the suspect abruptly cut off all contact.
“They were never reimbursed and suffered a total financial loss of $610,382,” the police noted
Previous offence
Police records indicate that Nwabueze was previously arrested in November 2023 for a similar romance scam that defrauded a victim of over $250,000
“Nwabueze was arrested in November 2023 by the Peel Regional Police, where he used the exact same method of operation and defrauded another victim for over $250,000. That case is currently before the courts,” they noted
Authorities suspect Nwabueze is part of a larger criminal network targeting older adults on dating sites to exploit vulnerable individuals for fraud.
“Fraud investigators believe that there are potentially more victims, and Nwabueze is part of a larger criminal network that is targeting older adult dating websites for the purpose of exploiting its trusting or vulnerable clientele for the purpose of committing fraud.”
The Peel Regional Police are urging members of the public with any information related to the case to contact the Fraud Bureau or provide anonymous tips through Peel Crime Stoppers or their official website.
