A 30-year-old Brampton man is charged with fraud and York Regional Police is seeking a second suspect in connection with an online dating romance scam.
Financial crime unit investigators believe an additional suspect is involved and may have been receiving funds from the accused, according to police.
Prince Amoah is charged with fraud over $5,000 and is to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Newmarket on Thursday, May 16.
The investigation began last September when a woman contacted police to report she had been a victim of a fraud.
The victim told police that she had met the suspect on an online dating site and had been communicating with him for about a month before he asked to borrow money.
Investigators were able to identify the suspect by tracking where the money had been sent.
Police believe there are more victims and are encouraging them to come forward.
On a video released by York Regional Police, Det. Const. Sean Hopton of the major fraud unit said, “A romance scam is similar to other types of fraud … however, they use your emotions to build a connection and then a relationship in order to convince you to hand them your money.”
The scammers troll online dating sites searching for “suitable candidates”, he said.
“The relationship progresses through constant and frequent communications”, typically texts, with promises to meet and even marry.
One victim received more than 2,000 communications in three months — more than 20 a day, he added.
Fraud victim “June” said, “I met him and initially he did not ask for money. There was a rapport — I felt like I was walking on a cloud.”
Typically, the scammer will eventually concoct a believable scenario in which he needs a small amount of money, Hopton said.
The schemes are both well-thought-out and orchestrated, he said, and most victims are convinced to send money multiple times without ever meeting the person.
The online profile turns out to be fictional, the name false, and the photos belong to someone else, Hopton said.
Another victim, "Jane", said on the video, “Obviously, at first, I was shocked and I was embarrassed, and then I felt really stupid. But the more I thought about it, I realized that I didn’t need to feel that way.
“This man is a professional who knows how to take advantage of women that are lonely, that are vulnerable and that are trusting. Now, I am angry and I want to be able to warn other women so this doesn’t happen to them.”
