Within a week of the release of an Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) documentary exposing an online fraud network, Nigerian authorities arrested a suspect linked to the scheme, while another alleged victim surfaced in Romania.
In last month’s documentary, Exposed: Fake ‘Dubai Prince’ Tracked to Nigeria, reporters identified Nzube Ikeji, 31, who was subsequently taken into custody. However, charges have yet to be filed, according to a spokesperson for Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), who spoke to OCCRP.
Ikeji’s arrest came nearly a week after the documentary detailed how he allegedly impersonated Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, cultivating an online relationship that defrauded $2.5 million from Laura, a Romanian businesswoman.
Following the documentary, a second alleged victim came forward to OCCRP’s Romanian partner, Context.ro. The woman, identified as Ana, provided documents suggesting she was targeted by the same network that defrauded Laura.
Both women said they were initially contacted on LinkedIn by an individual posing as the Dubai crown prince and claiming to represent a humanitarian foundation linked to the United Arab Emirates’ royal family.
Records shared by the victims indicate that Ana was first contacted in October 2022, while Laura was approached a month later. Both were offered what was described as “an official vip humanitarian membership permit” for 7,748 UAE dirhams, equivalent to 1,850 euros ($2,112), which they paid.
Such impersonation of the Dubai crown prince is a known tactic in romance scams, where fraudsters build emotional relationships with victims to extract money over time.
In both cases, identical email addresses, similar messaging patterns and fake membership cards were used, suggesting a coordinated operation. Laura is identified by her first name, while Ana is a pseudonym, as both requested anonymity.
Efforts to reach Ikeji for comment on the new allegations were unsuccessful. Emails sent to him bounced back, while his previous lawyers did not respond. Messages sent via WhatsApp were also undelivered. He has previously denied defrauding Laura or any other victim, describing the OCCRP documentary as a “targeted plan” to damage his reputation.
According to Ana, she was invited by the impersonator to apply for a role at Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), a humanitarian foundation founded by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Laura, meanwhile, was asked to assist the foundation in investing millions of dollars in humanitarian projects in Romania.
Neither claim was genuine. After paying 1,850 euros for the supposed membership cards, both women were told additional payments were required to activate them. Ana paid a further 10,550 euros ($12,045), while Laura paid 12,550 euros ($14,328).
The scammer later moved conversations from LinkedIn to Skype and then to WhatsApp, where he built romantic relationships with both women.
Ana said the impersonator eventually asked her to send 42,000 euros ($47,951) to facilitate a visit to Romania. When she refused, he messaged: “Now you’ve lost me and the 13,000 euros you have paid.”
While Ana cut off contact at that point, Laura continued communicating with the suspect for nearly two years, exchanging thousands of messages and even meeting a purported “financial manager” in London as part of the scheme.