An Influencer Is Charged of Being Part of a $2 Million Love Scam


Prosecutors say that a Ghanaian with many followers on Instagram took part in a scam that took over $2 million from old Americans who were easy to trick.

The Department of Justice announced Monday that 30-year-old Mona Faiz Montrage had been charged with various crimes, including wire fraud and money laundering, for her alleged involvement in a string of romantic scams. Prosecutors allege that from 2013 to 2019, Montrage was a member of a group of con artists who used social media and dating apps to contact their victims, leading them to believe they were establishing a romantic connection and then asking them for money. One victim claims Montrage mailed them a fake “tribal marriage certificate” from Ghana proving they were married. Prosecutors said that the suspect wired her a total of $89,000 over the course of 82 separate transactions. Montage was apprehended in the United Kingdom in November and extradited to the United States on May 12. Her lawyer told CNN on Monday that she pleaded not guilty.

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