A UK court has sentenced five men to a combined over 20 years in prison for their roles in a romance fraud and money laundering scheme that defrauded victims of more than £2 million.
The convicted men include Kwabena Edusei (37), Michael Quartey (28), and Ebenezer Tackie (42), all Ghanaian nationals, as well as George Melseaux (40), a Belgian, and Fawaz Ali (27), a British citizen.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the group operated between 2017 and 2024, creating fake online dating profiles to lure victims into relationships before exploiting them financially. Victims were persuaded to transfer money under the pretense of covering fabricated expenses such as urgent travel costs or emergency fines. Investigators confirmed at least 40 victims but believe the number could be closer to 100.
The court handed Edusei a sentence of Seven (7) years and ten (10) months, Quartey five (5) years and six (6) months, Ali four (4) years and ten (10) months, Tackie four (4) years and six (6) months, and Melseaux three (3) years and nine (9) months.
Authorities described the case as a sophisticated fraud that preyed on vulnerable people seeking companionship online. Beyond the financial loss, many victims suffered severe emotional distress, with some even losing their homes. The funds were laundered through multiple accounts in an attempt to disguise their criminal origins.
The CPS has warned that romance fraud remains a growing problem in the UK, with annual losses running into hundreds of millions of pounds and urged the public to be more cautious when engaging with strangers on digital platforms.
