Suspected romance scammer swindles $100K from Bradenton widower: Police

BRADENTON, Fla. - A Bradenton widower lost $100K to a man police say pretended to be a woman from the United Kingdom who needed to pay off a debt before she could move to Florida to be in a relationship with him.

Police began investigating in June 2024 when the victim’s children learned of their father’s supposed relationship with a woman named ‘Julia.'

"He was a 77-year-old widower. He was lonely and started communicating with people on Facebook," Detective Jim Curulla with the Bradenton Police Department said. "He met this one young lady who he thought was Julia."

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According to the Bradenton Police Department, the victim, a 77-year-old man, met ‘Julia’ on Facebook in late 2023.

Investigators say the pair communicated for about eight months using Facebook Messenger. They added that the victim was convinced that ‘Julia’ lived in the United Kingdom and would move to the United States to be with him.

According to police, ‘Julia’ claimed she owed money to a man in Minnesota and would relocate to Florida after paying the debt.

Benjamin Yakah mugshot courtesy of the Manatee County Sheriff's Office. 

"Our victim started paying, slowly but surely, giving chunks of change because, like he said, he was giving money to the woman he loved," said Curulla.

The victim sent cash, money orders, and cashier checks to a home and a bank in Minneapolis to help speed up the process, according to BPD.

After the victim’s children had contacted BPD’s Elder Fraud Unit, Detectives determined that the photos of ‘Julia’ had been taken from a West Virginia woman’s Facebook account without her knowing about it. 

"I don’t think it would have gotten caught until he lost his home," said Curulla.

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Investigators said Benjamin Yakah owned the bank account that received the victim's money.

Police believe Yakah scammed other people in different states based on what they found while searching his home.

Yakah was arrested in Minnesota and is awaiting extradition to Manatee County.

"These criminals now, they’re professionals. They’re professional actors, and they’re portraying this person, and they build that relationship, and when they have that, they will literally drain them for everything," said Curulla.

For resources on protecting yourself and your loved ones from common scams, click here. 

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