$100,000 romance scam leaves 74-year-old dead: police 2023.12.1……【Press】【U.S.】A New Jersey couple was arrested this month after targeting a 74-year-old Tennessee victim in a $100,000 email scam, according to authorities.
According to a criminal complaint, between August 13 and October 23, Chinagorom Onwumere, 34, and Salma Abdalkareem, 27, “devised to obtain money or properly under false and fraudulent pretenses.”
➤【美国】警方：新泽西州一对情侣在价值10万美元的浪漫诈骗导致74岁受害者死亡后被捕
据当局称，一对新泽西州夫妇本月因通过电子邮件诈骗一名 74 岁的田纳西州受害者而被捕。
根据一份刑事起诉书，8 月 13 日至 10 月 23 日期间，34 岁的 Chinagorom Onwumere 和 27 岁的 Salma Abdalkareem “设计以虚假和欺诈的借口获取金钱”。
三周前，Onwumere 和 Abdalkareem 在新泽西州皮斯卡塔韦的家中被捕，调查人员称他们在那里发现了受害者寄往该地址的一个信封。
田纳西州的调查人员表示，两人冒充联邦调查局者告诉受害者，他必须“支付罚款，以便此事可以在法庭外得到解决”。
警方称，两人先让受害人分别寄出 4,500 美元和 5,500 美元的支票，然后提高赌注，让他再寄出两张 41,000 美元的支票。
据信受害者向 Onwumere 和 Abdalkareem 汇了超过 10 万美元。
华盛顿县中尉文斯·沃尔特斯 (Vince Walters) 表示：“受害者只是感到害怕，觉得自己需要付钱。”
这名 74 岁的老人被发现死在家中，头部中枪，华盛顿县治安官办公室介入调查。
调查人员认为受害人的勒索导致了他的自杀。
田纳西州警方在新泽西州找到了这两人，并与皮斯卡塔维镇警察局合作对他们的家执行搜查令，最终将他们逮捕。

New Jersey pair arrested after $100,000 romance scam leaves 74-year-old victim dead: police

Friday, December 1, 2023 7:56AM

PISCATAWAY, New Jersey (WABC) — A New Jersey couple was arrested this month after targeting a 74-year-old Tennessee victim in a $100,000 email scam, according to authorities.

According to a criminal complaint, between August 13 and October 23, Chinagorom Onwumere, 34, and Salma Abdalkareem, 27, “devised to obtain money or properly under false and fraudulent pretenses.”

Three weeks ago, Onwumere and Abdalkareem were arrested at their Piscataway, New Jersey home, where investigators say they found an envelope the victim sent to the address.

Investigators in Tennessee say that part of the scam featured Abdalkareem pretending to be a well-known female actress and wanting to be in a relationship with the victim – going as far as getting him to send pictures back and forth.

They say that’s when Onwumere emailed the victim and “purported to be from the United States FBI” before “telling the victim that he had entered into a sexual harassment lawsuit due to the conversations.”

The complaint also noted that the FBI impersonator told the victim he would have to “pay fines so the matter could be resolved out of court.”

Police say the pair got the victim to send checks of $4,500 and $5,500 and then upped the ante – getting him to send two more checks for $41,000.

It is believed that the victim sent over $100,000 to Onwumere and Abdalkareem.

“The victim was just scared and just felt like they needed to pay the money,” said Washington County Lt. Vince Walters.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office got involved after the 74-year-old was found dead in his home with a gunshot wound to his head and contacted by the family who discovered the emails.

Investigators believe the extortion of the victim led to his suicide.

Tennessee Police located the pair in New Jersey and worked with the Piscataway Township Police Department to execute a search warrant on their home, leading to their arrest.

“The family was excited about us actually being able to pinpoint someone or some folks and make an arrest,” said Lt. Walters.

The Piscataway residents have been charged with extortion, financial exploitation of an elderly/vulnerable person, theft over $60,000, and criminal impersonation.

Additional charges are pending, as the investigation remains ongoing.