A Daytona Beach man thought he was having an online relationship with a woman he met on a dating app, but “Xena Palmer” turned out to be a scammer named Kwesi Poku who stole more than $100,000 from him, court records show.
Poku, 31, from Newark, New Jersey, was brought to Volusia County, and was locked up in the Volusia County Branch Jail Aug. 10 on $75,000 bail. He was charged with money laundering transfer of $20,000 or more, organized scheme to defraud more than $50,000, and grand theft over $20,000.
According to an arrest report filed with the court by the Volusia Sheriff’s Office, Poku was located with the help of the Newark Police Department.
Daytona Beach victim sent thousands via Cash App and checks to fake online date, court records show
Court records show Volusia deputies started investigating the scam after the Daytona Beach victim reported it in January.
The victim told deputies he met someone who went by the name Xena Palmer on the Match dating app and began communicating with her. The pair eventually started an online relationship, court documents state.
Shortly after the online dating began, Poku, who was pretending to be Xena Palmer, told the Daytona Beach man that her mother had cancer and that she needed to travel to Italy to care for her. Once in Italy the fake Xena Palmer told the victim she had been robbed and no longer had an identification card, so she needed financial help, the arrest report said.
The Daytona Beach man sent money via Cash App and made 23 transactions to the person he thought was Xena Palmer, totaling $30,300, the arrest report states.
After he sent the money, the victim told deputies Xena Palmer then told him she had a $40 million inheritance in gold and diamonds in London but that she needed money to retrieve the inheritance, investigators noted in the court document.
The victim then wrote a check for $45,000 and sent it to Xena Palmer so she could get her gold and diamonds. A few days later, Poku told the victim she needed $30,000 more to cover shipping costs for the valuables, court documents detail.
The victim wrote another check for $30,000 and sent it, investigating deputies said.
Court records: Lie about detention by Nicaraguan customs officials trips scammer
The victim kept in touch with who he believed was Xena Palmer.
Xena Palmer, who really was Poku, then tells the victim she was detained by Nicaraguan customs officials while she was on her way to the United States because she did not have proof of ownership of the gold and diamonds, the report detailed.
The Daytona Beach victim then called the U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua and learned that no one by the name of Xena Palmer was in custody, the report said.
The Daytona Beach man realized then that he had been scammed, court documents state.
Daytona man’s cashed checks lead to scammer in Newark, court documents say
Sheriff’s office investigators obtained photographs of the two checks, and the 23 Cash App transactions made by the victim as they worked to track down Poku, documents show.
Investigators discovered the two checks were endorsed by Kwesi Poku of Vinpec Solutions LLC. The victim confirmed to investigators he did send the checks to Vinpec Solutions, LLC, court records state.
The address of Vinpec Solutions, LLC was noted as 748 S. 12th Street, Apartment 4 in Newark, which was Poku’s residence, documents show.
Poku had the money deposited into a PNC Bank from where he withdrew and transferred large amounts of money, sheriff’s investigators said in court documents.
“The evidence clearly demonstrates that Kwesi Poku, controlled the account, executed all financial transactions, and laundered the stolen funds obtained through the fraud scheme,” investigators wrote in the report.
― Patricio G. Balona is a crime and public safety reporter covering Volusia County and occasionally Flagler County. His coverage areas include Daytona Beach, DeLand, Ormond Beach and beyond.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Cops: Daytona man sent thousands to man posing as woman on dating app
Reporting by Patricio G. Balona, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Patricio G. Balona, Daytona Beach News-Journal | USA TODAY Network
