Kenneth Emeni, Romance Fraud, West Virginia 2022
Romance Fraud Scam Targets West Virginians
A convicted participant in a multimillion-dollar romance fraud scam is helping the Southern District of West Virginia sound the alarm about these schemes, said United States Attorney Will Thompson.
Thompson’s office has launched a digital awareness campaign that features 15- and 30-second public service announcements as well as a long-form video alerting West Virginians to online fraud scams. The campaign focuses on how the elderly population is particularly at risk.
The long-form video includes warnings from Kenneth Emeni, 30, a citizen of Nigeria who admitted to participating in a Huntington-based scheme that defrauded at least 200 victims, many of whom are elderly, of at least $2.5 million. In the video, Emeni explains how false personas were created to establish romantic, friendship or business relationships with unwitting individuals via email, text messaging, online dating websites and social media platforms.
“As part of his acceptance of responsibility for his crime, Mr. Emeni agreed to provide a firsthand account of how these scams identify, target and exploit their victims,” Thompson said. “We hope this awareness campaign will help West Virginians safeguard themselves and their loved ones against fraudulent schemes.”
Emeni pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering, and was sentenced on December 19, 2022, to one year and one day in prison.
The awareness videos also provide the number for the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This U.S. Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim, and identifying relevant next steps.
Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses.
The public is also encouraged to report potential online fraud activity or scams at https://www.ic3.gov.
All three awareness campaign videos are available on the YouTube Channel for the U.S. Attorney’s Office: https://www.youtube.com/@USAOSDWV. The PSA videos will appear over the next two months on YouTube and various social media platforms, apps and websites.
Key Facts
- State: West Virginia
- Category: Cybercrime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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