Godwin Nwaofor, 36, of London, conned members of the public into opening new bank accounts to pay in cheques sent by him which were found to be false and bounced, leaving the victims indebted to the bank once Nwaofor had transferred the equivalent sum out.
He was also found to be sending fake letters or emails advising people they had won the Australian lottery where he told them to pay fees and taxes before receiving their prize.
During the time of the fraud, Nwaofor claimed to be a cleaner and supermarket worker earning less that £10,000 a year despite living in a luxury apartment in London’s Docklands and owning several sports cars.
Steve Brown, Senior Investigating Officer for the National Crime Agency, said Nwaofor was a professional fraudster who specialised in targeting the elderly or vulnerable.
“When victims ran out of their own money, Nwaofor encouraged them to take out high interest loans or borrow from friends and family.
“Many did so and are now left unable to repay these debts,” said Steve, adding: “He and his associates lived a life of luxury built on the misery of others.
“Many of his victims have had their lives wrecked by his actions.
“I hope they can now draw some comfort from the fact he is behind bars.”
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