Hajia Mona 4Reall also known as Hajia 4reall extradited to US over alleged $2m internet fraud scam targeting older single Americans

Ghanaian social media sensation turned artist, Mona 4Reall  also known as Hajia4Reall  also known as Hajia4Reall  has been extradited to the United States from the United Kingdom for her alleged involvement in a $2 million romance fraud known locally as’sakawa‘ that targeted elderly, unmarried Americans.

 

According to federal prosecutors, the 30-year-old model appeared in federal court in Manhattan on Monday, May 15 for her alleged participation in a series of romantic scams aimed at elderly persons who lived alone.

The lady, whose given name is Mona Faiz Montrage, has pleaded not guilty to the accusations.

Hajia4Reall is scheduled to be released on home detention to her aunt’s New Jersey home in the coming days on a $500,000 bail, with GPS tracking through an ankle monitor, according to her lawyer and the prosecutor’s office.

Damian Williams, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) New York Field Office, announced the unsealing of a six-count Indictment charging Hajia4Real with participating in a series of romance schemes and laundering the proceeds of those schemes.

Mona 4Reall is a public person who rose to prominence as an influencer through her Instagram page, under the pseudonym “Hajia4Reall,” which had about 3.4 million Instagram followers at one time and was among the top ten accounts in Ghana with the most followers.

She was apprehended in the United Kingdom on November 10, 2022, and extradited from the country on May 12, 2023.

She was presented before U.S. District Judge Paul A. Crotty, to whom the case is assigned today.

“We alleged today that Ms. Montrage participated in multiple romance scams, often targeting elderly victims, resulting in more than $2 million in fraudulent funds under her control,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Michael J. Driscoll.

“Romance scams, particularly those targeting the elderly, are a major concern.”The FBI will work tirelessly to bring criminals responsible in the criminal justice system.”

According to the court, the Influencer was a part of a Criminal Enterprise located in Ghana that conducted a series of frauds against persons and companies in the United States, including romance scams, from at least in or about 2013 through at least in or about 2019.

“Many of the Enterprise’s romance scam victims were vulnerable, older men and women who lived alone,” the court stated.The Enterprise commonly carried out romance scams by sending victims emails, text messages, and social media communications that led them to believe they were in love relationships with people who, in reality, had a fictitious identity taken by members of the Enterprise.

“Once members of the Enterprise had successfully convinced victims that they were in a romantic relationship and gained their trust, they persuaded the victims, under false pretences, to transfer money to bank accounts that the victims thought were controlled by their romantic interests, when, in fact, the bank accounts were controlled by members of the Enterprise.”

According to the prosecution, “Montrage received money from several victims of romance frauds who were duped into sending money by members of the Enterprise.”Among the false pretences used to entice victims to send money to Montrage were (i) payments to transport gold from overseas to the United States; (ii) payments to resolve a fictitious FBI unemployment investigation; and (iii) payments to assist a fictitious United States army officer in receiving funds from Afghanistan.

According to the court, in one episode with one of her victims, she used her true name and called the victim numerous times.

“Montrage later sent the victim a tribal marriage certificate claiming that Montrage and the victim were married in Ghana.”

“The victim sent Montrage approximately 82 wire transfers totalling approximately $89,000 to purportedly help with costs associated with Montrage’s father’s farm in Ghana.”

It added that “In total, Montrage controlled bank accounts that received over $2 million in fraudulent funds from the Enterprise.”