Federal Authorities Arrest Two Online Romance Scammers, Reach Plea Deal With Another

(NewsNation) — An Instagram influencer with nearly three and a half million followers is headed to prison for an online romance scam.

Mona Faiz Montrage was sentenced to a year and a day in prison under a plea agreement with federal prosecutors in New York last month. She admitted to being part of a criminal enterprise based in her native Ghana that committed fraud against people and businesses in the United States.

Montrage was part of an enterprise that “conducted romance scams by sending victims emails, text messages and social media messages that deceived them into believing they were in a romantic relationship with a person who was, in fact, a false identity,” said a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

“Romance scams like Montrage’s harm vulnerable and elderly victims by not only cruelly betraying their trust when they realise their online romance was fictitious, but also by callously stealing their money,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, two other women are out on bail after their arrests in June, accused of defrauding older men out of more than $7 million in a 15-year romance scam.

“Rosanna Lisa Stanley and Gina Guy recklessly defrauded elderly victims who were simply looking for companionship. They allegedly used the millions of dollars they fraudulently gained to live a life of luxury at their victims’ expense,” according to a separate press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Stanley was arrested in North Miami Beach, Florida, while Guy was arrested in New York. Both were formally charged with multiple counts, including wire fraud, conspiracy and money laundering. Both were released on $250,000 bail each.

Scammers stole more than $3.4 billion from older Americans last year, according to an FBI report, showing a rise in losses thanks to increasingly sophisticated criminal tactics to trick vulnerable people into giving up their life savings.

According to the FBI report, losses from fraud reported by Americans over 60 last year increased 11% over the previous year. Investigators warn of an increase in brazen schemes aimed at emptying bank accounts by sending in-person couriers to collect cash or gold from victims.