A German woman, Petra Goschenhofer, testified before Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja against an alleged love scammer who she says defrauded her of £130,000.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in statement said the accused, Wilson Daphey, also known as Jeffrey Guiseppe, faces charges of obtaining money under false pretense and money laundering, along with his accomplices Evans Nnamdi Aguh, Christopher Chinedu Ajufo, Ifeanyi Enuma, and Ojinanaka Kingsley Chukwuma, who remain at large.

Goschenhofer, during the Friday, October 6 proceedings, told the court that she met Daphey on Instagram in 2008 and that he claimed to be a Bitcoin trader and building engineer based in the United States with roots in Italy. He also told her that he was a single father with two kids.

She said that they began talking about their careers and families and that she eventually fell in love with him and as the relationship deepened, Daphey allegedly began requesting money, citing various reasons, such as needing funds to clear building equipment in Dubai.

“After a while, he told me he was in love with me and I told him I was married with kids and that a relationship was not possible between us but after a while, I noticed he was very nice to me and at that time, I was in a bad situation; my marriage was in crisis, I was depressed, and my son was in a bad condition. I gradually fell in love with him, and before long, he started asking me for money,” Goschenhofer stated.

“He claimed his building equipment was held in Dubai and he needed money to clear it. He actually promised to pay me back in a matter of time and sent me pictures, fake passports and work permits which bore a photograph of an American named Jeffery Guiseppe, and with date of birth of 10/11/197. We later entered into a written agreement that he sent,”

Goschenhofer mentioned that she transferred funds to Daphey using Western Union, and he assured her that he would reimburse her within a certain period. 

However, at a later point, she indicated that she requested her money back. Daphey responded by explaining that he couldn’t clear the equipment due to his frozen bank account and implored her to assist him in covering the next fee. Subsequently, she made the payments, with the cumulative amount reaching £13,000.

“In another instance, he told me that he was ill and in a coma in the hospital. I was at this time speaking with one Mr. Bah who called me on WhatsApp. He told me Guiseppe may die and that he needed to undergo a surgery and I financed it.”

After some time had passed, Goschenhofer made the decision to dig into Daphey’s identity. She subsequently confided in her husband, who then escalated the situation to the police for further inquiry. The investigation by the police revealed that the phone number provided by Daphey was linked to a server in Singapore, and the address and passport information he had provided were all counterfeit.

“The police further said it would be very difficult to investigate the case as the German law restricts investigations outside Europe.” she noted

Goschenhofer further narrated that to seek help, she joined some women on Instagram who had similar stories and they decided to find ways to help one another. During the Covid-19 era, Goschenhofer said she had an opportunity to video call Guiseppe and realized he was not an American and “at this point, he apologized and claimed he is from Kenya”.

She mentioned that she took additional steps by contacting an officer at the German embassy in Kenya. She shared phone calls, video conversations, and various documents with this officer in an effort to uncover Daphey’s true identity. According to the officer, Daphey’s dialect indicated that he was of Nigerian origin.

Goschenhofer also disclosed that she conducted further investigations, leading her to discover Daphey’s real identity on both Facebook and Instagram. During one of their video chats, she noticed that Daphey was driving a car with a Nigerian license plate. As a result, she made the decision to compile and mail all the evidence, including pictures, passports, work permits, and receipts, to the EFCC for a thorough investigation and potential prosecution.

She stated that all of this evidence, consisting of pictures, passports, work permits, and receipts, was submitted and accepted as evidence by the EFCC in Nigeria.

Justice Olajuwon has scheduled the next hearing for Tuesday, October 10, for the purpose of cross-examination.