Two Nigerians, identified as Chinwendu Azuonwu and Basil Amadi, 29, have been arrested for scamming a 63-year-old Texas woman of $100,000 by posing as singer Bruno Mars.
The duo made the woman believe she was dating the pop star. According to reports, Azuonwu, 39, a resident of Houston, was charged with third-degree felony money laundering.
The victim told police that in 2018 she created a profile on Instagram ‘in search of companionship.’ She then made contact online with someone claiming to be Mars.
During these interactions on Instagram and Google Hangouts, the woman told investigators that she ‘fell in love’ with the person she thought was Bruno Mars. In addition, ‘Mars’ told the woman that he planned to quit his tour so that he can be with her.
The woman told police that she believed at the time that she was communicating with the 11-time Grammy Award winner after she received messages showing Mars performing while he was on tour.
In September 2018, ‘Bruno’ asked the woman to send him a $10,000 check to help cover touring expenses. Two days later, the woman was once again contacted by ‘Bruno’ who asked for another $90,000, which she also sent.
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