A Halifax woman is charged after a St. Thomas woman was ripped off in a romance scam.
According to St. Thomas police, 31-year-old Ogheneruemu Osirim was arrested in Halifax on Monday and brought to St. Thomas to face a charge of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000. The charge is the result of an 18-month investigation that began when two brothers who were going through their deceased mother's accounts and noticed that about $150,000 was missing.
"Investigative work done by the STPS Computer Forensic Analyst along with warrants for records written by detectives indicated that the woman may have fallen victim to a romance scam with an individual claiming to be a man from Texas," police said in a news release issued Wednesday. "Several suspicious iTunes purchases and cash transfers to a bank account in Halifax gave police the leads they needed to track down the suspect."
Police got a warrant for Osirim's arrest and flew to Halifax to take her into custody. She was brought to St. Thomas for a court appearance Tuesday.
“We are very proud of the hard work and dedication our staff put into this investigation lead by Detective Constable Helaine Hindley," said St. Thomas police Chief Chris Herridge. "Scammers prey on lonely, vulnerable people and leave a path of emotional and financial destruction in their wake.”
