A 78-year-old man from Falls Church, Virginia, was a victim of an online scam. He lost $600,000 in money and items.
The unidentified victim is retired after working for the government as a Foreign Service officer for the U.S. Agency for International Development. His job was to investigate fraud.
In 2019, the victim began an online search, trying to find a companion and someone to visit the beach with him and his grandkids.
He located someone on the iFlirt dating site who stated that she was a widow in her 30’s and being held in prison. The victim provided the scammer with money which totaled close to $600,000 in cash and Apple items. The Apple items were sold in Ghana.
Linda Mbimadong and Richard Broni received their punishment in federal court in Alexandria. They were accused of money laundering. Officials stated that the two weren’t in contact with the victim but were “money mules” that were given a portion of the cash.
The scammers were able to pull the scheme off by creating fake profiles, acting as if they were doctors, lawyers, etc. who needed help after suffering from hard times. The scammers would then use “promises of love” to trick their victims.
The suspects helped prosecutors identify the scammers. For that, their sentence was lessened to 36 months and 19 months, respectively.
Others that were a part of the scam are still being sought.
