Orillia (December 10, 2019) – Orillia OPP arrested Albert Gyamfi from Edmonton in connection with an Orillia romance scam incident. In April 2017, the Orillia victim reported to the police sending over $25,000 to an alleged romance fraudster. After a lengthy investigation, the OPP identified Gyamfi as the suspect and arrested him in August 2019. As a result, he faces charges of Fraud Over $5,000 and Possession Of Property Obtained By Crime.
Orillia OPP reported a successful investigation into a local romance scam. They announced in a news release on December 9th that they arrested Albert Gyamfi from Edmonton as the suspect in an Orillia romance scam.
Orillia romance scam
In April 2017, the Orillia victim informed the police about an incident of a suspected romance scam. Reportedly, the local resident sent over $25,000 to an alleged romance fraudster.
After a lengthy investigation, the OPP identified the 35-year-old Gyamfi as the suspect in the Orillia romance scam. OPP described that ‘[t]he suspect in this matter was also a suspect for similar frauds in other policing jurisdictions within Ontario.’
Consequently, the OPP arrested Gyamfi in August of this year. He has been charged with Fraud Over $5,000 and Possession Of Property Obtained By Crime. The Edmonton man is scheduled to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Orillia on December 24, 2019.
Romance scams more common than widely expected
According to the Better Business Bureau, Canadians reported $22.5 million lost to romance scams in 2018. However, they estimate that losses are 20 times that number since most victims are too ashamed to report their losses.
Read more: Five arrested in Canada-wide romance scams
Anyone with information is asked to contact the police at 888-310-1122 or anyone who wishes to report information confidentially on this or a similar incident may contact D. Slenys at Investigation Counsel PC. Anyone who wishes to inquire fraud recovery information on their own case, or wishes to report fraud with whistleblower protection, please contact D. Slenys at 416-637-3151 or dslenys@investigationcounsel.com.
For more information on how to recognize the signs of romance scams, please visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
