Four men have been jailed for conning 12 women out of nearly £250,000 as part of an “elaborate” dating website scam.
Women using match.com were told the fictional James Richards needed money to release a £100m inheritance.
One victim handed over £174,000 to the “attractive middle-aged man”.
Emmanuel Oko was given concurrent sentences of eight and four years. Peter Monty Emu was jailed for three and a half years, Adewunmi Nusi for 18 months and Chukwuka Ugwu for 46 weeks.
A fake profile of James Richards was posted on match.com, the court heard
The trial at Winchester Crown Court heard the scammers created fake profiles, usually with the name James Richards.
Posing as “charming” and “attentive”, they gained the trust of the women before asking them to hand over large sums of money.
Once the relationships developed, the conmen started asking for cash they said was needed to release a £100m inheritance in India.
One victim, Deborah Cole, told the court she felt “drawn in”.
She said: “James was very clever. He never directly asked for the money, but he put you in the position where you wanted to help. You felt drawn in.”
One woman, Suzanne Hardman, handed over £174,000.
A victim became suspicious when she received the same email twice.
The court heard she wrote back to the sender, saying: “I wonder how many hearts you have broken”.
‘I hated myself’
In victim impact statements heard by the court, one woman said: “l no longer trust any adults, male or female. I just don’t believe anything.”
Another said: “At first I hated myself. It has changed me as a person.
“I feel I will live the rest of my days alone as I will never trust anyone again.”
The women were first asked for a £700 legal fee by a fake solicitor, but then the sums requested rose to £100,000.
Sentencing the four men, Judge Susan Evans QC said: “This was a highly sophisticated conspiracy to defraud. It preyed on the trusting, the lonely and the emotionally vulnerable.
“The hurt and distress you caused them was enormous.
Credit: BBC