Cyber Crimes Include Romance Predators Targeting Seniors

A coordinated international romance, marriage, and gold-related advance-fee scheme

How an International Romance, Fake Marriage, and Gold Scam Cost More Than $90,000

This true story is a painful experience; and may serve as a public warning to others who may be targeted through international dating sites, WhatsApp relationships, marriage promises, fake lawyers and fake legal emergencies, gold-related claims, and urgent requests for money.

What began and believed to be a genuine relationship became an eight-month ordeal involving romance, marriage representations, alleged travel to the United States, claims of detention at an international airport, undocumented gold, legal fees, court fines, fake documents, fake bank portal, and repeated payment request.

The victim, a U.S. resident, met a woman identifying herself as Felicia Pepra of Ghana through internationalCupid dating site. The relationship moved to WhatsApp and developed quickly. The victim believed it was serious, respectful, and real. He and Felicia Pepra discussed marriage, her desire to migrate to the United States, and build a life together in the U.S.

The relationship led to what was described as a traditional Ghanaian marriage. Because the victim was not physically present in Ghana, he was told that her alleged uncle Odel Nana Konadu, would stand in for him during the traditional process. The victim was later shown documents and representations that appeared to support the event, and the relationship, travel plans, and a U.S. Visa for her intended migration.

The situation changed dramatically when the victim was notified at 4:am in the morning of March 17^th, 2026, by an alleged customs officer in Amsterdam who identified himself as Customs Officer Van Dike and told him that Felicia Pepra was allegedly detained while traveling through Amsterdam with undocumented gold in her possession.

The caller told the victim that payment of urgent fines is necessary to avoid going to trial. and prevent prosecution and to secure her release. From there, the story extended to additional claims involving Ghanaian authorities demanding her return to Ghana for interrogation, gold regularization, insurance, legal fees, court penalties, and release costs.

At each stage, the alleged gold became the leverage. The victim was told that the gold could later be sold or liquidated to reimburse the payments he made and is making. When he hesitated, he was encouraged and persuaded to keep helping the family because the matter was supposedly close to resolution. Each payment was followed by another emergency, another document, another fee, another State authority's demands. 

Weeks later he was told that the gold has been regularized to meet compliance, and that the gold had been sold and the proceeds deposited into what he now believes was a fake bank account. The victim was instructed to log into the account to make sure all is well and to withdraw sufficient funds to reimburse himself for what he spent.  When he attempted to access the account, the account became blocked, and a pop-up referring him to customer service. Upon reaching out to the family’s attorney, he was told that the reason is because the gold was sold to an unlicensed buyer and the gold was confiscated from the buyers and they have arrested for money laundering; and a fine was required to release the gold again. Funds were allegedly raised by the family with the victim contributing for the release of the gold.

Following that release of the gold, the victim was told the gold could not be sold in Ghana and should instead be shipped to the U.S. at a quoted cost of approximately $22,000. At that point, the victim refused to continue.

The victim said that, after repeated attempts to verify documents and information he relied on, he learned from Ghana's GoldBod Authority that the gold authentication documents presented to him were not valid. Shortly after, he discovered from the Ghana Attorney Bar organization that the alleged attorney involved was not listed as an active licensed attorney in Ghana.  The victim said that is when he concluded that he had likely been targeted in a coordinated romance, marriage, gold, fake-lawyer, fake-document, fake-bank, and advance-fee fraud scheme.

He said his losses exceeded $90,000. Most payments were sent through MoneyGram for expedited funding and pickup in Ghana. The victim said he believed the money was being used to help with fines, legal expenses, release costs, gold regularization, and emergency expenses. He said he now believes those explanations were part of a coordinated scheme to extract more money.

The victim said he has preserved evidence, including WhatsApp communications, emails, phone records, payment receipts, alleged legal documents, gold documents, travel documents, bank-portal information, and related materials. Reports have been or are being submitted to appropriate authorities, including U.S. IC3 and Ghanaian Cyber Agency Authorities.

The victim has expressed that he is not sharing this to seek sympathy; that he is sharing it because romance scams are not simple mistakes by victims. They are psychological, emotional, financial, and often international crime operations, psychologically designed to gain trust, isolate the victim, create urgency, and make each payment feel like the final step before everything is resolved.

If you are in a relationship with someone overseas and they suddenly need money for customs, gold, court fines, visa issues, airport detention, shipping, medical emergencies, legal fees, or release documents, stop immediately and verify independently.

Do not rely on phone numbers, documents, lawyers, or agencies provided by the person asking for money. Contact official agencies directly using independently verified websites and phone numbers. Do not send more money. Do not log into bank portals provided by strangers. Do not trust promises that gold, inheritance, settlement funds, or blocked bank proceeds will reimburse you later.

If this story sounds familiar, you may be dealing with a romance or advance-fee scam. Preserve your evidence, stop contact, notify your bank or money-transfer company, file a police report, report to the FBI’s IC3, report to the FTC, and contact the appropriate cybercrime authorities in the country involved.

My hope is that sharing this warning helps someone else stop before losing their savings, damaging their credit, borrowing money, or believing one more “final payment” will solve everything.

This can happen to the best of us. It can happen to educated, hardworking, trusting people. The shame belongs to the scammers, not the victims.

Public Warning Hashtags

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