A Toronto resident who was defrauded of $355,000 in a romance cryptocurrency scam has successfully recovered part of the funds, thanks to an international investigation. Nigerian national Omonkhoa Precious Afure, who allegedly orchestrated the fraud, was arrested in Lagos, Nigeria in November 2021. This was confirmed by the Toronto Police Service (TPS), which worked closely with several investigative agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Nigeria and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
Afure allegedly posed as Moshem Cnich, a Swedish national, to lure victims into a fake bitcoin investment scheme. The fraudster convinced individuals to invest in cryptocurrency with the promise of significant returns, ultimately stealing their money. The victim in question was defrauded through an online exchange platform, Legacyfxtraders.online, beginning in June 2021.
Following the arrest of Afure, Nigerian authorities seized the proceeds of his illegal activities. In December 2024, Nigerian courts ruled that the seized assets belonged to the Canadian victim, and $225,000 CAD was returned by TPS officials.
The investigation began in 2021 after the victim reported the fraud to TPS. Over the next few years, the TPS worked alongside various units, including the Ontario Provincial Police’s Anti-Rackets Branch and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC), to trace the stolen funds. Their collective efforts led to Afure’s arrest and the eventual restitution of a portion of the stolen money.
On August 24, 2022, Afure, along with accomplice Lucky Uchechukwu Ndukwe, was arraigned in Lagos for money laundering in connection with a $164,000 transaction. The case highlighted the growing problem of romance cryptocurrency fraud, with victims losing millions annually.
According to the CAFC, in 2023 alone, victims reported losses of over $52.5 million from romance scams and over $309 million from investment fraud. However, only a small fraction of victims—estimated at 5-10%—report these crimes to law enforcement.
The CAFC also encourages victims to report frauds to Nigerian authorities using the Eagle Eye reporting application, a tool aimed at combating cyber-enabled fraud worldwide.
