US jails Kenyan who created nearly 10 bank accounts to scam unsuspecting lovers

A 38-year-old woman, Florence Mwende Musau, has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison and two-and-a-half years of supervised release by US District Court Allison D. Burroughs.

The US Department of Justice found Musau guilty of involvement in a fraudulent online scheme, including romance scams.

Criminals perpetrating romance scams create fictitious profiles on online dating or social media websites, gain the trust of potential victims and then direct those victims to transfer money under false pretences.

An animation depicting romance scams Pulse Live Kenya

She was also ordered to pay $900,000 (Sh112 million) to the victims and to forfeit a Lexus SUV and approximately $350,000 (Sh44 million).

In 2021, Musau was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud after being caught participating in a scam that involved using fake identities to open bank accounts and receive money from victims under false pretences.

READ: FBI arrests Sh3.5B scam suspect escaping to Nairobi

She withdrew large sums of money from these accounts, often less than $10,000 (Sh1.2 million) to evade detection.

Musau also received the proceeds of fraudulent State Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Benefits in the names of victims.

As part of the scheme, Musau used at least three different aliases to open about ten fraudulent bank accounts and receive approximately $1 million (Sh124 million) in fraud proceeds.

Fraudulent IDs used by Florence Musau Mwende Pulse Live Kenya

How romance scams work

Romance scams happen when someone creates a fake online identity to trick people into believing they are looking for love.

They pretend to be someone they are not and use social media or dating websites to build a relationship with their victims.

They ask for money or personal information and often keep up the scam for a long time before asking for anything, making the victims feel like they have a real relationship.

In the end, the scammer disappears with the victim's money or personal information, and the victim is left feeling devastated and possibly in financial trouble.