Police arrests Nigerian for alleged $600k romance scam in Canada

A Nigerian serial fraudster, Chimezie Nwabueze, has been arrested by police in Canada over his alleged involvement in a $600,000 romance scam.

A statement posted on the Peel Regional Police website on Monday, disclosed that Nwabueze was arrested on April 28 after he was indicted in the scam.Read more

“Investigators from the Peel Regional Police Fraud Bureau have arrested and charged an individual in connection to an alleged online romance scam, totaling more than $600,000,” the Bureau said.

It noted that Nwabueze had allegedly lied to his victims that he owned an oil rig in the Middle East, which he needed money to sort out with the promise of repayment.

The suspect was said to have cut off communication with the victims when they confronted him, leaving the victims with a loss of $610,382.

“Between June 2021 and July 2023, two victims believed they were in a genuine romantic relationship with the suspect, whom they met through an online dating platform,” it added.

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“The suspect fraudulently claimed to own an ‘Oil Rig’ in the Middle East and urgently needed money, promising repayment and an eventual meeting. The victims only communicated with him electronically and never met in person.

“After the victims confronted the suspect, he cut off all communication. They were never reimbursed and suffered a total financial loss of $610,382.

“On Monday, April 28, 2025, Chimezie Nwabueze, a 28-year-old man from Toronto was arrested and charged with the following criminal offences:

“Fraud Over $5000 X2
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime X2 Utter Forged Documents
Laundering Proceeds of Crime
Participate in Activities of Criminal Organization Instructing Commission of Offence for Criminal Organization
Nwabueze was released on an undertaking and will appear later before the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton.

“Fraud investigators believe that there are potentially more victims and Nwabueze is part of a larger criminal network that is targeting older adult dating websites for the purpose of exploiting its trusting or vulnerable clientele for the purpose of committing fraud.

“Nwabueze was arrested in November 2023 by the Peel Regional Police where he used the exact same method of operation and defrauded another victim for over $250,000. That case is currently before the courts. “

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