Romance Scam: UK Man Poses as Billionaire, Swindles Oregon Woman Out of $2 Million
A man from the UK posed as a wealthy international billionaire and deceived an Oregon woman, causing her to lose nearly $2 million in a fraudulent scheme. Oscar Peters, 65, was sentenced to over three years in prison for wire fraud and will have to pay restitution and serve three years of supervised release upon his release. Peters met the victim on an online dating site called Millionaire Match Maker, claiming to be a billionaire from Denmark looking for a long-term relationship. He manipulated the woman with romantic emails and phone calls, eventually convincing her to send him money by fabricating stories about his financial troubles. Peters used the victim's bank accounts and credit cards to transfer funds to his wife, posing as his assistant, while falsely promising to repay the victim. Despite his assurances, Peters never returned the money, leaving the woman devastated and nearly bankrupt. The court filing revealed that Peters spent the stolen funds on lavish expenses, including credit card bills, travel, limousine services, Apple purchases, and transfers to his wife. After being indicted in 2019, Peters was arrested in the UK in 2020 and extradited to the US in 2023 to face charges for his fraudulent activities.