North Texas woman who lost $75,000 in online scam warns others of danger

COLLYVILLE, TX – A widow who has lost tens of thousands of dollars to an online love interest scam is one of more than two dozen victims targeted.

More than $1 million in stolen money was sent from North Texas to Nigeria, with additional money sent to Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

“I fell for it. It’s embarrassing. I’m not a stupid person, but trust me, they did it,” said one of the victims.

The 70-year-old widow, who asked FOX 4 not to name her or show her face, thought she had found a new love.

Instead, she lost $75,000 to a group of Nigerian gang members, according to the Tarrant County District Attorney’s office.

Now Yahoo Boys leader Obi Ifeanichukwu, 43, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

“They were ready for me,” the victim said.

[REPORTER: “They had a lot of documents ready to make themselves seem official?”]

“Yes they were. Indeed, they were, ”the victim replied.

In 2019, Colleyville police reported suspicious activity at a UPS store.

“Because they had an elderly client who brought numerous packages of cash to them and bought them at different addresses,” said a sergeant with the Colleyville Police Department. Dara Nelson explained.

The detective determined that the man had been swindled by someone who was not who he claimed to be.

“These people were praying for elderly widows or widowers,” Nelson said.

The scammers established an intimate relationship through social media and eventually convinced the “lovers” to send money.

“They were able to identify a four-man criminal gang in the DFW area who laundered this money, sent and received money, and made various purchases,” Nelson said.

Obi, who lived in Grande Prairie, sent $1.3 million worth of stolen money to Nigeria in two months in 2019. He also bought trucks.

Investigators have identified more than two dozen victims.

“It’s definitely a big criminal network spanning multiple countries,” Nelson added.

“They pulled every heart string, since they could pull,” the victim said.

The widow said her scammer convinced her after weeks of talking that he was getting a big job contract, but until then he needed a loan.

“It was such a big deal that I even got my parishioners to pray about it,” she added.

Prosecutors are still working on the cases of three more people who have been charged.

Her warning to others: Know who you’re really talking to online, and if someone asks you to send money, report it to the authorities.

“You just get sucked into it,” she said.