SIX CHARGED IN CONNECTION WITH ALLEGED INTERNET DATING SCAM

Hampshire police arrest five men and a woman in connection with alleged fraud involving users of Match.com. Five men and a woman have been charged in connection with an alleged scam involving an internet dating site. Hampshire police arrested the suspects following a "lengthy investigation" into the alleged fraud, which involved women being asked to give "significant" amounts of money after meeting men on the Match.com site.

Detective Constable Darrin Carey said: "These charges come following a lengthy investigation into an alleged scam where women are asked to hand over significant amounts of cash after meeting men on the Match.com dating website. Alleged victims in this case are from the Basingstoke area, across Hampshire and England. If you have any information which may assist this investigation, please contact me on 101." The suspects charged with conspiracy to commit fraud are Emmanuel Oko, 29, of Waverley Grove, Southsea, Hampshire; Brooke Boston, 28, of Chelsea Road, Southsea; Monty Emu, 28, of Frencham Road, Southsea; Eberechi Ekpo, 26, of Adair Road, Southsea; Chukwuka Ugwu, 28, of Somers Road, Southsea, and Adewunmi Nusi, 26, of Bomford Close, Hermitage, Berkshire. They are all due to appear later at Basingstoke magistrates court.

Match.com offers the following safety advice: "Criminals should not get away with scams whether on dating sites, over the internet or in any walk of life. While the authorities and dating sites work closely together to ensure a safe environment on the internet, we encourage everyone to apply the same caution when meeting people online as they would when meeting through friends or in a bar. "Never give money to anyone just as you would never give money to someone you recently met in a pub or cafe. Do not share personal contact details off the site. If in doubt, use the highly visible 'report a concern' button which flags issues to our care team."