They’re going for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
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[00:00:19] Will Johnson: Welcome back to AARP - The Perfect Scam.
I’m Will Johnson, here once again with AARP’s Fraud Watch internet Ambassador, Frank Abagnale.
Frank, welcome back.
[00:00:27] Frank Abagnale: Thanks, glad to be here.
[00:00:45] Frank Abagnale: Yes.
And there’s a lot to it then with these romance scams.
There’s all other angles, just not just I’m out to have somebody send me some money.
He is none of the above.
Amy Nofziger is Director of Victim Support with AARP’s Fraud Watch internet.
[00:01:48] Amy Nofziger: They can create whatever personality they want.
If they find out that you’re a religious person, then they’re a religious person.
If they find out you’re a sports person, then they’re a sports person.
But then they can also find information on your Facebook page.
He learned quickly how the scammer would operate to keep bringing in money.
[00:02:32] Adam Latham: It was just one excuse after another.
[00:02:43] Will Johnson: Sunmola was following a familiar routine in the world of romance scams.
Routine that creates visions of love and companionship, even marriage for some victims.
Someone who could then get the money to Elias.
As we already know, that’s the scammer’s real name.
Elias and Sunmola are one in the same.
Sara, of course, is not the only victim Sunmola is scamming.
There are numerous women investigators reach out to eventually.
Sara is identified as Jane Doe #6.
Last week we told you about Jane Doe #1.
He’s a multi-faceted criminal.
He’s, he’s doing this romance scam, but he’s also committing credit card fraud.
So that’s why she finally cut it off.
Sunmola just moves on to other victims.
[00:05:16] Adam Latham: It’s a business for him.
He, he um, completes business with one business partner if you want to call it.
These people have no intention of ever meeting you, ever being a part of your life.
They are just saying what you oughta hear so you will send them whatever it is.
And Sunmola and his crew in South Africa knew every trick in the book.
This is where the story gets extremely personal, but Sara is willing to tell us what happened.
[00:07:27] Will Johnson: He really got ugly.
[00:07:28] Sara: It got ugly.
[00:07:30] Will Johnson: How did you get through all that?
[00:07:38] Will Johnson: Sara’s mom decided enough was enough.
They went to the FBI.
[00:07:52] Will Johnson: It’s like a needle in a haystack.
[00:07:54] Sara: Right.
Jane Doe #1’s story had lit a fire and they were honing in on the scam.
In fact, it was Sunmola’s arrogance that provided the first big break.
He was conning people um, out in the open.
[00:08:28] Will Johnson: Investigators went to work using his real name.
They followed a digital trail.
He is the man in charge.
Among them, Sara.
Latham meets with Sara at her home and tells her she’s not alone.
I mean it was like millions of dollars he has taken.
[00:09:39] Amy Nofziger: That is so important to make the, the victims feel comfortable.
So for her to hear that, that’s crucial.
You know, yelling doesn’t work.
Yelling brings up defenses and builds walls.
[00:10:40] Will Johnson: More victims were located.
More interviews, more heartbreaking stories and shame.
They just didn’t respond to us.
But we identified uh, 40 or 50 that did lose money and did respond to us.
[00:12:17] Will Johnson: Latham reaches out to Scotland Yard.
They monitor Sunmola’s return flight plans to South Africa and they show up at the airport.
They had him in custody.
The next step was to bring him back to the US.
Sunmola gets a lawyer and fights extradition, but eventually gives up.
I will come back to the US and face charges.
After years of investigation, Adam Latham is able to share the news with the victims.
[00:13:22] Will Johnson: In February 2016, the case finally went to trial.
[00:13:25] Adam Latham: Day 2, we had several Jane Doe’s testify.
The several Jane Does that testified, I think really did a number on Ilumsa Sunmola at the trial.
It was really devastating testimony that they gave.
And so basically it ended.
[00:13:51] Will Johnson: Sunmola was eventually sentenced to 27 years.
But for Sara and other victims, the damage was done.
Not just the money, but the impact on their lives and their relationships.
[00:14:01] Sara: And I, it definitely changes your life forever.
Um, I have a real problem with trusting people.
I don’t really believe anything anybody really says until like I know like the facts.
[00:14:20] Sara’s Mom: And he ruined a lot of women’s lives.
[00:14:43] Sara’s Mom: Right.
[00:14:56] Will Johnson: And he, he wasn’t a Prince Charming at all.
[00:14:58] Sara’s Mom: He was a shyster.
He’s a fast talker, the devil in disguise, I believe.
[00:15:05] Will Johnson: So who exactly is this man Ilumsa Sunmola?
From what investigators learned, he was educated and came from a well to do family.
Can you help us out?
Those are, those have been going on forever.
But he, he grew up in this uh, this, the fraud culture in Nigeria.
It translated with him when he moved to South Africa.
He was maybe trying to do some legitimate work in the IT, in the computer field.
Spoke um, very good English.
[00:16:38] Adam Latham: We learned that he had four houses there.
So he had uh multiple um, high end automobiles.
It was a, a big bash.
[00:18:17] Will Johnson: Do you remember what you said?
[00:19:16] Will Johnson: It’s a harsh term.
There’s a lot of words and terms and phrases one can use when thinking about romance scams.
Think about it like this though.
For these victims, there was never anything real about it.
It was all built on a lie.
The financial and emotional distress can wreak havoc.
[00:19:39] Amy Nofziger: They start to question their own ability to, to think cognitively.
Despite all she’s been through, she’s learning to trust someone again.
[00:20:07] Sara’s Mom: So she’s taking it very, very slow.
They’ve been dating for two years.
[00:20:13] Will Johnson: And it’s in person, it’s not online.
[00:20:15] Sara’s Mom: Right, right.
So according to the Bureau of Prison’s website, he’s down in Louisiana.
The fun fact is his release date is Valentine’s Day 2038.
They’re hard at work right now finding victims, grooming them, sending chocolates and teddy bears.
Stop communicating with them if you’re on a dating app or a dating site.
Report them so they can take that profile picture down.
Report it to, to whomever you feel comfortable reporting it to.
They, they told her, look, you’ve got the option to’t do this.
You know, it’s clearly a scam.
But they have to have a certain level where they, they feel like this is worth investigating?
[00:22:53] Will Johnson: Not just romance scams.
[00:22:54] Frank Abagnale: Yeah, political corruption, fraud, you name it.
[00:24:00] Will Johnson: Let’s talk about that.
So even myself, I was Frank Monjo, Frank St. John.
[00:24:18] Will Johnson: Where did you get St. John?
Those are made up?
[00:24:20] Frank Abagnale: I just made up those names, but always Frank.
[00:24:23] Will Johnson: But you kept the first name, always Frank.
[00:24:38] Will Johnson: I might be Will Montclair or something like that.
[00:24:39] Frank Abagnale: Right, exactly.
[00:24:54] Will Johnson: That’s a good point.
All right, so he used his real name, as you’re saying, maybe not that uncommon.
[00:25:57] Will Johnson: A few points I want to make before we, before we go.
Being in the military could be a red flag.
It happens all the time, but it could be a red flag.
As always, thanks to my team of scambusters; producers Julie Getz and Brook Ellis.
Our audio engineer, Julio Gonzales.
And of course, my cohost, Frank Abagnale.
Be sure to find us on Apple podcast or wherever you listen to podcasts.
For The Perfect Scam, I’m Will Johnson.
END OF TRANSCRIPT
Single mother Sara is growing suspicious of the man she met online.
He claims to be an Army major stationed in South Africa, but Saras family worries shes being scammed.
