A calculating Nigerian fraudster nicknamed "Fizzy" because of his love of champagne has seen his millionaire's lifestyle come to a terrible end.
Frank Onyeachonam was jailed this week in the UK for eight years after he successfully conned vulnerable pensioners out of their life savings with a bogus lottery scam to fund his high life of fast cars, champagne and designer clothes.
For seven years, Onyeachonam ran the UK operation of a global scam which was orchestrated from Nigeria and involved hundreds of perpetrators in several countries, detectives suspect. Victims would receive a letter advising them they had won the Australian lottery and instructing to call the lottery agent, Dr Jeff Lloyds, an alias used by Onyeachonam. They were told they needed to pay fees and taxes before they could receive a large cash prize. Communication between Dr Jeff Lloyds and the victims continued for some time, with further requests for more money to be sent.
Many victims took out high value loans, believing they would be able to pay them back once they received their lottery winnings. As a result, one victim in the United States lost £60,000 and her house, whilst another in the UK ran up debts of £90,000.
Mr Onyeachonam, 38, meanwhile lived an extravagant lifestyle without evidence of any legitimate income. He had a luxury apartment overlooking the River Thames in London, is believed to have owned two houses in Nigeria and drove high-spec cars including a BMW convertible. He frequented a private members’ club in Canary Wharf and would only drink Ace of Spades champagne, at £300 to £500 a bottle.
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| Frank featured on the front page of UK Metro newspaper |
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