The UK’s Crown Prosecution Service have jailed five Ghanaian men after they were found guilty of stealing over £2 million through a romance scam fraud locally known as “sakawa”.
The UK court found the five Ghanaians guilty of money laundering, conspiracy to defraud, and possession of ID documents by the Guildford Crown Court on September 30, 2025.
The court detailed that the stolen funds were washed through the bank accounts of the members of the criminal gang.
The report indicated that 40 people, out of a total of 99 suspects, had been confirmed as victims of the romance fraud.
The Ghanaian romance scam gang is estimated to have made around £2 million from the victims.
Fawaz Ali, 27; Ebenezer Tackie, 42; Michael Quartey, 28; Kwabena Edusei, 37; and George Melseaux, 40 are the five Ghanaians who have been convicted.
Accoding ot the details of the case, three of the men, Fawaz Ali, Ebenezer Tackie, and Michael Quartey, were found guilty of money laundering offences.
They were sentenced to four years and 10 months’ imprisonment, four years and six months’ imprisonment, and five years and six months’ imprisonment, respectively.
Kwabena Edusei was sentenced to seven years and 10 months’ imprisonment after admitting to conspiracy to defraud, money laundering, supplying articles for use in fraud, and possession of ID documents with an improper intention.
The last convict, George Melseaux, was also convicted of money laundering and possession of ID documents with an improper intention; he was sentenced to three years and nine months’ imprisonment.
The report indicated that the five men executed their scam by creating fake profiles and fictional biographies on dating websites to trick their victims.
The court report revealed that the five Ghanaian men executed their scam by creating fake profiles and fictional biographies on dating websites to trick their victims.
Parts of the report read, “They used flirtatious language to manipulate people into thinking they were entering into a genuine, loving and caring relationship. But this was all a build-up to the fraudsters asking victims for money for fake reasons, including loans to pay for business trips gone wrong, fines being incurred in remote locations, or a stolen wallet and urgently needing money to pay these off.
“Victims transferred money to the bank accounts of the men or even sent cash in the post. This romance fraud was repeated many times until the victims had no money left or became suspicious, stopped making payments, and alerted the authorities”.
Meanwhile, President John Dramani Mahama has issued a strong warning to individuals involved in romance scams,
Mahama stressed that offenders will face extradition and prosecution.
Speaking at the launch of Cyber Security Awareness Month in Accra on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, John Mahama stated, “We’ve been collaborating with all our global partners. Anybody involved in romance scams, whether you are a foreigner or a Ghanaian citizen, we will hand you over to be tried and punished accordingly”.
“So, we will continue to collaborate with our international partners. When evidence is gathered and it is proven that people are involved in romance scams, using our extradition treaties, we will ship the culprits back,” he said.