Eric Patrick
The Peel Regional Police (PRP) have arrested and charged a Canada-based Nigerian, Chimezie Nwabueze, in connection with a romance scam that defrauded two victims of more than $600,000.
According to a statement posted on the PRP website, Nwabueze allegedly orchestrated the scam between June 2021 and July 2023, using an online dating platform to lure victims into believing they were in genuine romantic relationships.
Police said the suspect posed as the owner of an oil rig in the Middle East and fabricated urgent financial crises, promising repayment and in-person meetings to gain the victims’ trust.
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He was arrested on Monday, April 28, and faces multiple charges, including:
Two counts of fraud over $5,000
Two counts of possession of property obtained by crime
Uttering forged documents
Laundering proceeds of crime
Participation in criminal organisation activity
Instructing the commission of an offence for a criminal organisation
Nwabueze was released on an undertaking and is expected to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton at a later date.