- Five men jailed for orchestrating a £2 million international romance scam between 2017–2024.
- 40 confirmed victims, with 99 suspected individuals defrauded.
- Sentences ranged from 3 years 9 months to 7 years 10 months at Guildford Crown Court.
- Victims lost homes, savings, and trust in others due to emotional and financial manipulation.
- Scammers used online dating platforms, grooming victims with flirtatious tactics.
- Victims were asked to cover fake expenses, including travel costs and fines, via bank transfers or cash.
- Most scams occurred in the UK, with additional victims across Europe, the USA, and Australia.
- CPS criticized the scammers for causing severe emotional distress and exploiting victims’ trust.
Five men have received prison sentences for orchestrating a large-scale romance scam that defrauded people out of more than £2 million over seven years. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) revealed that 40 victims were confirmed, though nearly 100 individuals were believed to have fallen prey to the sophisticated money-laundering scheme between 2017 and 2024.
Fawaz Ali (27), Ebenezer Tackie (42), and Michael Quartey (28) were convicted of money laundering and handed sentences of four years and ten months, four years and six months, and five years and six months, respectively, at Guildford Crown Court. Kwabena Edusei (37) was sentenced to seven years and ten months, while George Melseaux (40) received three years and nine months in prison.
Victims described the emotional and financial toll of the scam. One recounted losing their home and struggling to trust anyone again, feeling compelled to hide the truth from family and friends due to embarrassment. Another emphasized the deep personal trauma, saying it took years to regain trust in others.
The perpetrators deceived victims using online dating platforms, employing flirtatious language and grooming tactics to feign genuine romantic relationships. They manipulated victims into sending money for fabricated expenses such as fines in distant locations or urgent travel, with transfers going to the men’s bank accounts or cash mailed directly.
While the bulk of the fraudulent activity occurred in the UK, CPS investigations uncovered additional victims in Europe, the United States, and Australia. Jane Mitchell, a CPS specialist prosecutor, condemned the perpetrators’ actions, highlighting the severe emotional distress caused and the total disregard for the well-being of those they exploited.
