A German woman, Petra Goschenhofer, testified before Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja against an alleged love scammer who she says defrauded her of £130,000.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in statement said the accused, Wilson Daphey, also known as Jeffrey Guiseppe, faces charges of obtaining money under false pretense and money laundering, along with his accomplices Evans Nnamdi Aguh, Christopher Chinedu Ajufo, Ifeanyi Enuma, and Ojinanaka Kingsley Chukwuma, who remain at large.
Goschenhofer, during the Friday, October 6 proceedings, told the court that she met Daphey on Instagram in 2008 and that he claimed to be a Bitcoin trader and building engineer based in the United States with roots in Italy. He also told her that he was a single father with two kids.
She said that they began talking about their careers and families and that she eventually fell in love with him and as the relationship deepened, Daphey allegedly began requesting money, citing various reasons, such as needing funds to clear building equipment in Dubai.
“After a while, he told me he was in love with me and I told him I was married with kids and that a relationship was not possible between us but after a while, I noticed he was very nice to me and at that time, I was in a bad situation; my marriage was in crisis and I was depressed, and my son was in a bad condition. I gradually fell in love with him, and before long, he started asking me for money,” Goschenhofer stated.
“He claimed his building equipment was held in Dubai and he needed money to clear it. He actually promised to pay me back in a matter of time and sent me pictures, fake passports and work permits which bore a photograph of an American named Jeffery Guiseppe, and with date of birth of 10/11/197. We later entered into a written agreement that he sent,”
Goschenhofer added that she made payments to Daphey through Western Union and that he promised to pay her back in a matter of time.
After some time, she stated that she asked for her money but Daphey said he had not been able to clear the equipment because his bank account was frozen and pleaded with her to help him pay the next fee. She paid, with all payments totaling £13,000.
“In another instance, he told me that he was ill and in a coma in the hospital. I was at this time speaking with one Mr. Bah who called me on WhatsApp. He told me Guiseppe may die and that he needed to undergo a surgery and I financed it.”
After a while, Goschenhofer said that she decided to investigate Daphey’s identity and eventually told her husband,d who handed the matter to the police for investigation, and the police found out that the phone number he gave her was on a server in Singapore and the address and passport were all fake.
“The police further said it would be very difficult to investigate the case as the German law restricts investigations outside Europe.” she noted
Goschenhofer further narrated that to seek help, she joined some women on Instagram who had similar stories and they decided to find ways to help one another. During the Covid-19 era, Goschenhofer said she had an opportunity to video call Guiseppe and realized he was not an American and “at this point, he apologized and claimed he is from Kenya”.
She stated that further called and sent videos of their conversations and other documents to an officer in the German embassy in Kenya to find out who Daphey was and was told that his dialect showed that he was a Nigerian.
Goschenhofer added that she conducted further checks and found out his real identity on Facebook and Instagram. She also found out in one of their video chats that Daphey was driving a car with a Nigerian number plate.
“So, I decided to print and send all the evidence of pictures and documents to the EFCC for further investigation and prosecution”, she said.
All evidence of pictures, passports, work permits and receipts were tendered and admitted in evidence to the EFCC in Nigeria, she said.
Justice Olajuwon has adjourned the matter to Tuesday, October 10 for cross-examination.
