• Mona Faiz Montrage, an influencer from Ghana, has recently been arrested in the UK for allegedly taking part in a romance scam.
• The scam involves fraudulently obtaining money and gifts from elderly victims through false pretenses and convincing them of a romantic relationship.
• She and her co-conspirators have stolen over $2 million from their victims so far.
Mona Montrage Arrested
Mona Faiz Montrage – an influencer on Instagram that’s originally from Ghana, but now lives in New Jersey – has been arrested for allegedly taking part in a romance scam that saw several old men send her lavish gifts including prepaid cards and cryptocurrency.
Victims Tricked Through False Pretenses
According to court documents, Montrage is part of a large cybercrime ring in West Africa that has thus far seen more than $2 million stolen from older (and vulnerable) American citizens, many of whom are in their 80s. Not long ago, she was arrested in the United Kingdom and extradited to New York where she made her first court appearance and pleaded not guilty to all the charges against her including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to receive stolen money, and money laundering.
Romance Scam Tactics
The tactics used by Montrage include reaching out to potential victims via dating apps and once they had gained their trust would convince them there was romance in the future. In some cases they would even send them a tribal marriage certificate purporting to show they were married. This resulted in victims sending close to $90K -$200K dollars through collections of payments directly into accounts controlled by members of the enterprise.
FBI Leading Investigation
Michael J. Driscoll – the FBI assistant director in charge – said: “This case demonstrates how criminals can use social media platforms as tools for financial exploitation… By leveraging digital identities associated with social media presence, these criminals take advantage of unsuspecting senior citizens who believed they were engaging with romantic interests.“
Scammer Faces Serious Consequences
Montrage is 30 years old and has allegedly been engaging this type of behavior since 2013. If found guilty, she is facing up serious consequences such as heavy fines or imprisonment for up 20 years per count. The investigation is still ongoing but it serves as warning for those looking for love online not to fall victim to scammers using similar tactics