A criminal group is said to have made a total of 400,000 euros at the expense of Italian women – by posing as a US officer stationed in Syria.
Eight Nigerian nationals and an Italian woman have been arrested by police in Rome. They had faked a love affair in chat rooms and persuaded their victims to pay large sums of money. According to the police, the victims were mainly single and elderly women.
The scammers set up a Facebook account for an alleged 50-year-old US Army officer. According to the study, the victims paid more than 400,000 euros to the man who did not exist in four years, from 2018 to 2021. Eight women turned themselves in to the police after realizing they had been scammed.
Long-distance relationship with a non-existent man
Police investigations have led to the arrest of a 56-year-old Italian woman and eight Nigerian nationals living in Rome. The plan was more or less the same: the flirting in the chat room turned into real long-distance relationships for the women, who were then tricked by the non-existent man under various pretexts into paying him large sums of money with the promise of joining them in Italy to move in and start a life together.
Photos stolen by US lawyer
To create the US officer’s profile, the gang stole photos from a US-based lawyer. The alleged main motive for asking the women for money and convincing them to pay it was the fabricated way of paying severance pay to the US government so that the officer could leave the service and move to Italy.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
