On the afternoon of November 5, 2021, Kwaku Achampong, 32, hand-delivered letters to a Bembridge address demanding that the occupant deposit £100,000 into a bank account.
Over the next six days, the victim received a barrage of texts, phone calls, and emails threatening her with violence if the payment demands were not met.
This was reported to police, and on November 11, Achampong was arrested in Ryde.
Officers investigating the case examined Achampong’s phone, and their inquiries led them to a second victim who had been duped into handing over large sums of money to someone they met online.
The victim in this case later met with Achampong twice at a service station in Gloucestershire, handing over a total of £160,000 in cash.
Achampong, of Chantry Road in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, was charged with blackmail and two counts of fraud by false representation following an investigation into these incidents.
On April 28, this year, he appeared at Newport Crown Court and admitted the charges against him.
On Tuesday, June 7, he appeared in the same court and was sentenced to 6 years and 9 months in prison.
DC “Achampong embarked on a ruthless and manipulative campaign fuelled by greed,” said Anthony Daniels of the Isle of Wight Investigation team.
“Achampong’s actions have had a significant impact on the men who were victims of these heinous crimes.”
“Achampong travelled across the country to investigate these heinous crimes, and he will now pay the price for his role in this.”
People who are subjected to blackmail or fraud may feel extremely vulnerable and intimidated. Anyone who is being blackmailed should contact the police immediately. Do not delete any correspondence, do not pay, and do not communicate with the offenders any further.
We also encourage people to visit our website’s fraud page, where they can learn all about personal and online fraud, including dating fraud, and how to spot the signs of a scam: https://www.hampshire.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/fa/fraud/
