A 63-year-old British woman has avoided prison after stealing £80,000 from the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) to send to an online boyfriend in Nigeria, in what authorities describe as a classic romance scam.
Hyacinth Blair withdrew tens of thousands of pounds from the South London and Maudsley NHS trust, where she worked as an administrator, between June 2021 and January 2023.
Blair was said to transferred the funds to a Nigerian man, Michael Okafor, after striking up an online romance with him.
Okafor was said to have convinced her that he needed financial assistance for a series of fabricated emergencies, including medical bills and business investments.
She said he pressured her to send the money and she felt “helpless”.
Judge Lynn Tayton KC, gave Blair a two-year jail sentence, suspended for two years, after he admitted fraud by abuse of position.
Judge Tayton said Blair had first told probation officers she “had no idea” why she had taken the money, but then said she believed she was “in an online relationship with a man in Nigeria who demanded money”.
She added: “You said you felt pressure to give this money. You told the officer you felt concerned about taking money from your employer but felt helpless.
“In my view there was sustained dishonesty not only explained by pressure or mental health issues.”
Blair’s case highlights the growing issue of online romance fraud, particularly those originating from West Africa. According to UK Action Fraud, losses to such scams exceeded £90 million in 2023, with Nigeria being a major hub for these criminal networks.
