Christine Brown, a 70-year-old British woman who was swindled of her life savings amounting to $26,000 by a Nigerian suspect in a romance scam, has had her fortune recovered and returned to her by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Revealing this in Lagos, EFCC Spokesperson Wilson Uwujaren, said the Benin Zonal Command handed over the money to the victim on Monday.
According to him, Brown expressed gratitude to the Commission for its efforts which she said, has brought some succour to her after losing her life’s savings to the fraudsters.
He said that the 70-year-old had petitioned the Commission after being defrauded by an internet fraudster in a romance scam.
“Narrating her ordeal, Brown said she became a victim after she met a purported John Barrowman, an entertainer and citizen of America online.
“Unknown to her, he was a fraudster. Brown said they became romantically involved, and the fraudster began to demand money which she sent to him through wire transfers, Bitcoin and gift cards,” Uwajaren said.
“Kanu Idagu, the EFCC Zonal Commander, while handing over the recovered money, said the Commission would continue to discharge its mandate to the betterment of the society.
“We are doing a whole lot in ensuring that victims of fraud are restituted where possible, and we will continue to do more,” he said.
He admonished the public to be circumspect in whatever they do online as fraudsters prowl the internet seeking to defraud unsuspecting victims.
