Fake soldier must repay £250,000 for online dating fraud

Tosin Femi Olasemo (l) used an unidentified picture of a soldier to con women

A man who claimed to be an American soldier serving in Afghanistan to defraud two women of more than £250,000 has been ordered to pay back the money.

Tosin Femi Olasemo, 37, of Cardiff, used a picture of a uniformed soldier as his profile photo on the dating site match.com.

He was jailed in 2015 for four-and-a-half years after admitting fraud.

A confiscation hearing at Cardiff Crown Court ruled he would serve a further two-and-a-half years if he did not pay.

Olasemo will be deported from the UK whenever he is released.

Following his conviction, a Proceeds of Crime Act investigation took place which revealed that Olasemo had links to Nigerian bank accounts containing more than £150,000.

He also had land purchased in Nigeria for about £47,000 and was found in possession of more than £1,100 when he was arrested.

During his sentencing in July 2015, the court heard he had tried to take more than £400,000 from lonely women using the alias Captain Morgan Travis, but banks stopped some payments going through.

He had told his victims he needed money to arrange leave from the army.

At the latest court hearing, he was ordered to repay just over £200,000 to his two victims, who live in Denmark.

He also has three months to arrange the sale of the land in Nigeria to repay the remaining money.

South Wales Police Det Insp Paul Giess, from the economic crime unit said: "This case has demonstrated the dangers of providing personal details and sending money to strangers online.

"Fraudsters use a variety of tactics to con their victims, such as pretending to be in need of urgent medical attention or having been discharged from the armed services into a life of poverty."