How They Caught... The Ghana dating scammers

Missing link

Can you put a value on love? If someone you cared for was in trouble and needed your support, wouldn't you pull out all the stops to help - even if it cost you money?

Screen grab of dialogue between victim and scammer

Many believe they are helping a nurse from America or perhaps a British soldier stuck in Afghanistan, the stories are elaborate and sophisticated. But they are just stories thought up by Ghanaian scammers.

The victims are lead into a trap, and made to feel like they are the only ones who can help. It's not until police and the serious organised crime agency knock at the door that the truth becomes clear, the love interests they’d been pursuing were actually fakes. This is the Romance Scam.

To those looking for love, lonely-hearts columns and Internet dating sites can be the answer to a new relationship, but increasingly fraudsters are using these gateways to prey on innocent Britons, luring them into a false sense of security then scamming them for cash. It's leaving a trail of victims up and down the country with emotional and financial ruin and it's costing us billions every year.

Dena White

Much of this fraud is coming out of West Africa and our film pays particular attention to the work SOCA has been doing in Ghana, a hot spot for scammers.

These organised gangs or syndicates join an online dating service and befriend their victims. They create fictitious online profiles often using stolen photos from the internet. They strike up a relationship with their victim, often spending weeks or months chatting online and building trust, letters are also written and sent by post. Then they invent a complicated situation where they claim to need money urgently and persuade their victim to send them cash.

Loaded 9mm Revolver found in the back of a car in Ghana and owned by a scammer

"He said he loved me…"

One such victim was Dena White, from West Yorkshire. Her experience at the hands of a Ghanaian romance scammer left her struggling financially and emotionally.

Dena started internet dating after the death of her husband a number of years ago, following a couple of false starts she finally met someone she thought she shared a real connection with.

He called himself Steve Moon, and claimed to be an American divorcee and retired army officer. They were soon spending hours every day emailing and instant messaging. "He said he loved me and he wanted to come here and see how we got on", Dena explained. She had no reason to feel suspicious, but then the scammer struck.

Asola Fadola

"We'd been communicating for about a month and then he said to me, 'I have to tell you, I'm not actually in America at the moment, I'm in Iraq'," Dena said.

The scammer went on to spin Dena a complicated story and eventually persuaded her to part with some money. She remortgaged her house and sent him everything she had - £45,000. But 'Steve' didn't stop there, telling Dena he was being held hostage in Iraq he claimed he need £120,000 to pay off his captors.

Just days before Dena sold her house police stepped in, they'd been tip-off anonymously. They broke the devastating news: Steve Moon had never existed. He was a fictional character created by a scammer, using photographs stolen from the internet. The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) traced Dena's payments, and those of other victims, to the account of a Ghanaian businessman, Asola Fadola.

Asola Fadola's house in Ghana

SOCA, together with Ghana CID and Ghana National Fraud Office found Fadola after months of investigation, he was finally arrested earlier this year. But Dena is still suffering the consequences of the scam and faces the possibility of having to sell her house to cope.

Targeting the vulnerable

In the UK, SOCA has a special team dedicated to tackling this type of fraud, they work closely with Ghana Post, Ghana CID and Ghana National Fraud Office. Colin Woodcock, MBE a senior manager at SOCA says romance scammers target the lonely and the vulnerable. He says scammers are willing to devote hours to cultivating their victims before asking for money. "They are clever, clever people and they are very entrepreneurial," he said. "…there’s lots of conversations that go on for weeks and even months and they have to remember all of that."

When snaring online victims scammers will lift pictures of attractive people from the internet and claim it is a photograph of them. Colin explained that they often ask for smaller amounts of money initially, before persuading their targets to part with larger sums.

However people duped by the romance scam could even be risking far more frightening consequences than just losing money, according to Colin. "You could end up being kidnapped," he said. "That's happened. People have come here (Ghana) and been held until they've paid money."

Are you being scammed?

If you think you've been a victim of fraud, you can contact Action Fraud - the UK’s national fraud reporting centre. You will get a crime reference number and information on victim support. Action Fraud also offers information on how to protect yourself against becoming a victim. Find Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.org.uk or call 0300 123 2040. Please note that the BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

SOCA also has these scam-busting tips for anyone considering using dating sites or singles columns:

Be suspicious of anyone you have not met in person asking you to send money abroad. Even a cheque for a small amount can provide fraudsters with your bank details and can be altered and used in other fraudulent ways.

Speak to them online via a webcam and ask yourself whether this is the same person you have been chatting to online or by email.

Tell someone trustworthy where you are going and plan regular contacts. Agree what they should do if you miss a contact.

Report incidents of actual or attempted frauds, kidnaps and extortion.

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