By Ghana News
Copyright ghanamma
Five Ghanaian men have been jailed in the United Kingdom (UK) after they were found guilty of stealing over £2 million through a romance fraud scheme, locally known as ‘sakawa’.
According to the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service, the five Ghanaians were found guilty of money laundering, conspiracy to defraud, and possession of ID documents by the Guildford Crown Court on September 30, 2025.
The convicts include Fawaz Ali, 27; Ebenezer Tackie, 42; Michael Quartey, 28; Kwabena Edusei, 37; and George Melseaux, 40.
Details of the case shared on the Prosecution Service website indicated that three of the men, Fawaz Ali, Ebenezer Tackie, and Michael Quartey, were found guilty of money laundering offences and sentenced to four years and 10 months’ imprisonment, four years and six months’ imprisonment, and five years and six months’ imprisonment, respectively.
Kwabena Edusei, who had admitted to conspiracy to defraud, money laundering, supplying articles for use in fraud, and possession of ID documents with an improper intention, was sentenced to seven years and 10 months’ imprisonment.
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George Melseaux, who admitted to money laundering and possession of ID documents with an improper intention, was sentenced to three years and nine months’ imprisonment.
The report indicated that the five men executed their scam by creating fake profiles and fictional biographies on dating websites to trick their victims.
“They used flirtatious language to manipulate people into thinking they were entering into a genuine loving and caring relationship. But this was all a build-up to the fraudsters asking victims for money for fake reasons including loans to pay for business trips gone wrong, fines being incurred in remote locations, or a stolen wallet and urgently needing money to pay these off.
“Victims transferred money to the bank accounts of the men or even sent cash in the post. This romance fraud was repeated many times until the victims had no money left or became suspicious, stopped making payments, and alerted the authorities,” parts of the report read.
It added that the stolen funds were laundered through the bank accounts of the members of the criminal gang.
The report also indicated that 40 people, out of a total of 99 suspects, had been confirmed as victims of the romance fraud.
The money the gang stole from the victims was estimated to be around £2 million.
Read the full report below
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