'419' Money Wired To Ghana

Nigerian nabbed in e-mail scam

WINNIPEG -- A Nigerian refugee who had been living in Toronto is in custody after Winnipeg police made a landmark arrest in connection with a West African e-mail scam.

It is the first time a Canadian police agency outside of Toronto has made such an arrest, but it came after an 84-year-old Winnipeg man was bilked out of more than $30,000.

Most people have received e-mails that pitch far-fetched scenarios and offer outrageous sums of money, but these types of fraud cases are tough to solve because scammers use a variety of untraceable means - web-based e-mail accounts and wire transfers, for example.

Arrests are rare. But in this case the suspect came to police. He told the victim he was coming to Winnipeg to pick up more money, so the victim, who by that point had realized he had been duped, alerted cops.

The suspect was arrested last Friday when he arrived at the senior's home, said police spokesman Const. Jacqueline Chaput.

Toluwalade Alonge Owolabi, 36, of Toronto, is charged with fraud over $5,000, fraud under $5,000 and five other offences.

The senior wired the $30,000 to a bank account in the African country of Ghana, but officials there will not co-operate with police

The senior will likely never recover the money.

Chaput said the scam began when the senior replied to an unsolicited e-mail that promised a share of a $1.5 million inheritance that, unknown to him, does not exist.

The man was told to wire an upfront fee of $37,500 to receive the supposed windfall. He wired $30,000 and was pressured to send more.