Online Dating Scam: Court Sentenced Undergraduate to 18 Months’ Imprisonment

Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Ikeja Special Offences Court yesterday sentenced Emmanuel Victor, a 100-level computer science part-time student, to 18 months’ imprisonment for an online dating scam.

The convict was, however, given an option of N4 million fine.

Victor, aged 23, had benefitted $7,000 from an online dating scam before his arrest.

The convict pleaded guilty to an amended one-count charge by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

EFCC prosecuting counsel Abubakar Dambua, who reviewed the facts of the case, told the court that on September 15, 2023, an intelligence report about the fraudulent activities of the convict and others was received.

He said a raid was carried out, and the convict was arrested. Dambua listed an iPhone 13, a Samsung phone, an ATM card, a manager’s cheque, and fraudulent documents among items recovered from the convict.

Dambua thereafter sought to tender all items recovered from the convict as evidence before the court.

The defence counsel, E.A. Ukpai, did not object to the admissibility of items recovered from the convict.

When the trial judge asked Victor how he committed the fraud, Victor told the court that he created a false Facebook account in the name of ‘Agent Fred Smith’.

“I then asked the unsuspecting victims to apply for Social Economic Grant Programme and I asked them to pay processing and delivery,” said the convict.

Victor told the court he used the $7,000 to assist his family, “We used to stay in a plank house, and l used the money to provide better accommodation and pay for my school fees.”

In her allocutus, Ukpai said the defendant had realised his mistake, become remorseful, and that he was a first-time offender. She pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy and grant him a non-custodial sentence, saying that his mother was not well.

Delivering judgment in the matter, Justice Oshodi said he did not believe that the convict committed the offence out of necessity.

The convict forfeited all items recovered from him to the federal government.