MANILA, Philippines — Police arrested two catfishing Nigerian nationals who allegedly tried to extort $8,000 from a businesswoman after posing as her “Australian lover.”
Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, chief of the Philippine National Police, said on Sunday that he had ordered an investigation of the activities of an apparent syndicate of foreigners involved in catfishing, particularly the “love scam.”
Nigerians Felix Aondowase and Emmanuel Abia allegedly posed as an Australian on a social media platform to woo the businesswoman.
When the businesswoman entered a romantic relationship with the “Australian” and sent him intimate pictures, her “Australian lover” blackmailed her and threatened to upload the photos if she did not send $8,000 (approximately P400,000) to a Filipino couple in Tanza, Cavite.
This prompted the victim to seek the help of the police, which set up an entrapment and arrested the Filipino couple who then identified the two Nigerians.