Chibuzor
Akobundu, Devon Miles, Martin Williams and Sani Bala Ismaila1st left
Chibuzor
Akobundu (Devon Miles, Martin Williams and Sani Bala Ismaila1st left), -
See more at:
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/06/how-i-swindled-american-women-of-48000-student/#sthash.1bm9EsRP.dpuf
Chibuzor
Akobundu (Devon Miles, Martin Williams and Sani Bala Ismaila1st left), -
See more at:
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/06/how-i-swindled-american-women-of-48000-student/#sthash.1bm9EsRP.dpuf
Chibuzor
Akobundu (Devon Miles, Martin Williams and Sani Bala Ismaila1st left), -
See more at:
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/06/how-i-swindled-american-women-of-48000-student/#sthash.1bm9EsRP.dpuf
Chibuzor
Akobundu (Devon Miles, Martin Williams and Sani Bala Ismaila1st left), -
See more at:
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/06/how-i-swindled-american-women-of-48000-student/#sthash.1bm9EsRP.dpuf
A final year student of
Imo State University, Chibuzor Akobundu, has been arrested by operatives of
Special Fraud Unit, Ikoyi, for allegedly swindling foreign women to the tune of
$48,000 through a dating website.
Surprisingly, the 22-year-old
Microbiology undergraduate confessed that his victims, resident in the United
States of America, were ‘swept off their feet’ by his profile on the dating
site.
He spoke with journalists yesterday,
while being paraded alongside two staff of a second generation bank, who
allegedly facilitated the withdrawal of money via Western Union Money Transfer.
The suspect adopted Devon Miles as
his name and pasted a photograph of an unknown American citizen as his profile
on the dating site.
Victims
He confessed to have swindled five
American single women within the ages of 40 and 50, in search for husbands.
He gave the name of his first victim
as Antoinette. He promised to marry her and was able to dupe her of $16,000
before she suspected he was a fraudster.
His next victim was one Jettie
Simpson, who reportedly sent $5,000 to him via Western Union.
Others also duped by Akobundu were
Shelly Bashir, $100; Billie Klock, $13,000, in a relationship that reportedly
lasted for five months, and Andrea Desena, $8,000.
‘How I operate’
Akobundu said: “I started browsing
the dating site three years ago, posing as a US citizen residing in Nigeria.
“At that time, it was a common game
around my area in Ikeja. Along the line I met these ladies who were looking for
husbands.
“They fell in love with me because
of my profile, where I stated that I was a 49-year-old divorcee in search of a
wife. I claimed to be an engineer.
“I would tell them I was stranded in
Nigeria and needed some money to travel back to US and they would send the
money via Western Union.
“At other times, I would tell them
that my daughter was sick and that I needed money to offset her hospital bill
and they would fall for the trick. I have never used charm to hypnotise any of
them.
“My parents were never aware of what
I was into because anytime I got a reasonable amount, I would travel to South
Africa and squander the money.
“My regret is that I never used the
money for anything tangible, to avoid suspicion. My mum is a teacher, while my
father is a businessman and have been responsible for the payment of my school
fees.”
Victim’s story
Explaining how he was arrested,
spokesperson for the Unit, Ngozi Insitume-Agu, said: “The arrest followed a
petition via the Unit’s website from one Amelia Brosick, a US citizen, dated
April 16, 2013, where she alleged that one Devon Miles, suspected to be a
Nigerian, defrauded her to the tune of $16,439 using different tactics.
“She added that she met the suspect
on a dating site in June 2012, and the suspect, under the guise of dating her
for the purpose of marriage, obtained the alleged sum fraudulently through
Western Union.
“Armed with the petition, Western
Union was contacted and they sent a detailed spread sheet showing all the
transfers in the name of the suspect.
“Following the information, the duo
of Nnamdi Nwakwue Dike and Olawale Oguniran attached to Western Union in Skye
Bank, Owerri and Allen Avenue, Ikeja, branches, respectively, were arrested.
“Their revealing statements led to
the arrest of the serial internet fraudster, Chibuzor Akobundun also known as
Devon Miles, Martin Williams and Sani Bala Ismaila. He adopted Devon as the
internet name, but opened the account in the name of Martin Williams.
Accomplices confess
“He confessed that he provided the
bank staff with the photocopy of his identity card so that they could withdraw
the monies, while he gave them some percentage.
“The bank staff also confessed that
they used Uche’s particulars to withdraw money from other persons’ accounts
without his knowledge.”
However, Dike of the Owerri branch
denied knowledge of what Akobundun was into. He maintained that he was only
doing his job as a front-line teller staff of the bank, adding that he had
never at any time paid Akobundu above the stipulated amount.
He said: “Anytime he came to collect
the money, he would answer the question given correctly, including the
secret code.
“Mine is to ascertain whether the
details corresponded with what was in the system at the end of which I would
hand his money over to him.”
Asked if he received any
gratification from Akobundu, he said he was given tips of N1,000 or N2,000 at
times, just like some other bank customers do.
A final
year student of Imo State University, Chibuzor Akobundu, has been
arrested by operatives of Special Fraud Unit, Ikoyi, for allegedly
swindling foreign women to the tune of $48,000 through a dating website.
Surprisingly, the 22-year-old Microbiology undergraduate confessed that his victims, resident in the United States of America, were ‘swept off their feet’ by his profile on the dating site.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/06/how-i-swindled-american-women-of-48000-student/#sthash.1bm9EsRP.dpuf
Surprisingly, the 22-year-old Microbiology undergraduate confessed that his victims, resident in the United States of America, were ‘swept off their feet’ by his profile on the dating site.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/06/how-i-swindled-american-women-of-48000-student/#sthash.1bm9EsRP.dpuf
A final
year student of Imo State University, Chibuzor Akobundu, has been
arrested by operatives of Special Fraud Unit, Ikoyi, for allegedly
swindling foreign women to the tune of $48,000 through a dating website.
Surprisingly, the 22-year-old Microbiology undergraduate confessed that his victims, resident in the United States of America, were ‘swept off their feet’ by his profile on the dating site.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/06/how-i-swindled-american-women-of-48000-student/#sthash.1bm9EsRP.dpuf
Surprisingly, the 22-year-old Microbiology undergraduate confessed that his victims, resident in the United States of America, were ‘swept off their feet’ by his profile on the dating site.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/06/how-i-swindled-american-women-of-48000-student/#sthash.1bm9EsRP.dpuf
A final year student of
Imo State University, Chibuzor Akobundu, has been arrested by operatives of
Special Fraud Unit, Ikoyi, for allegedly swindling foreign women to the tune of
$48,000 through a dating website.
Surprisingly, the 22-year-old
Microbiology undergraduate confessed that his victims, resident in the United
States of America, were ‘swept off their feet’ by his profile on the dating
site.
He spoke with journalists yesterday,
while being paraded alongside two staff of a second generation bank, who
allegedly facilitated the withdrawal of money via Western Union Money Transfer.
The suspect adopted Devon Miles as
his name and pasted a photograph of an unknown American citizen as his profile
on the dating site.
Victims
He confessed to have swindled five
American single women within the ages of 40 and 50, in search for husbands.
He gave the name of his first victim
as Antoinette. He promised to marry her and was able to dupe her of $16,000
before she suspected he was a fraudster.
His next victim was one Jettie
Simpson, who reportedly sent $5,000 to him via Western Union.
Others also duped by Akobundu were
Shelly Bashir, $100; Billie Klock, $13,000, in a relationship that reportedly
lasted for five months, and Andrea Desena, $8,000.
‘How I operate’
Akobundu said: “I started browsing
the dating site three years ago, posing as a US citizen residing in Nigeria.
“At that time, it was a common game
around my area in Ikeja. Along the line I met these ladies who were looking for
husbands.
“They fell in love with me because
of my profile, where I stated that I was a 49-year-old divorcee in search of a
wife. I claimed to be an engineer.
“I would tell them I was stranded in
Nigeria and needed some money to travel back to US and they would send the
money via Western Union.
“At other times, I would tell them
that my daughter was sick and that I needed money to offset her hospital bill
and they would fall for the trick. I have never used charm to hypnotise any of
them.
“My parents were never aware of what
I was into because anytime I got a reasonable amount, I would travel to South
Africa and squander the money.
“My regret is that I never used the
money for anything tangible, to avoid suspicion. My mum is a teacher, while my
father is a businessman and have been responsible for the payment of my school
fees.”
Victim’s story
Explaining how he was arrested,
spokesperson for the Unit, Ngozi Insitume-Agu, said: “The arrest followed a
petition via the Unit’s website from one Amelia Brosick, a US citizen, dated
April 16, 2013, where she alleged that one Devon Miles, suspected to be a
Nigerian, defrauded her to the tune of $16,439 using different tactics.
“She added that she met the suspect
on a dating site in June 2012, and the suspect, under the guise of dating her
for the purpose of marriage, obtained the alleged sum fraudulently through
Western Union.
“Armed with the petition, Western
Union was contacted and they sent a detailed spread sheet showing all the
transfers in the name of the suspect.
“Following the information, the duo
of Nnamdi Nwakwue Dike and Olawale Oguniran attached to Western Union in Skye
Bank, Owerri and Allen Avenue, Ikeja, branches, respectively, were arrested.
“Their revealing statements led to
the arrest of the serial internet fraudster, Chibuzor Akobundun also known as
Devon Miles, Martin Williams and Sani Bala Ismaila. He adopted Devon as the
internet name, but opened the account in the name of Martin Williams.
Accomplices confess
“He confessed that he provided the
bank staff with the photocopy of his identity card so that they could withdraw
the monies, while he gave them some percentage.
“The bank staff also confessed that
they used Uche’s particulars to withdraw money from other persons’ accounts
without his knowledge.”
However, Dike of the Owerri branch
denied knowledge of what Akobundun was into. He maintained that he was only
doing his job as a front-line teller staff of the bank, adding that he had
never at any time paid Akobundu above the stipulated amount.
He said: “Anytime he came to collect
the money, he would answer the question given correctly, including the
secret code.
“Mine is to ascertain whether the
details corresponded with what was in the system at the end of which I would
hand his money over to him.”
Asked if he received any
gratification from Akobundu, he said he was given tips of N1,000 or N2,000 at
times, just like some other bank customers do.
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