Bombshell lyrics reveal how a Sydney woman allegedly signed up to be part of an African romance scam, posing as a wealthy mining heiress to cheat a lonely American doctor out of his savings.
Rebecca Jade Silk, 34, a swimming school teacher from the city’s northern beaches, is accused of flying into the US and posing as ‘Grace Erskine’ as part of a romance scam led by a gang from the West African country Ghana.
The alleged scam was shattered by Ghana’s Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) after the 75-year-old American doctor – who Daily Mail Australia has chosen not to name – transferred more than AU$1 million abroad, leaving his alarmed family to call in the FBI.
Law enforcement documents, first reported by CBS News and seen by Daily Mail Australia, show alleged WhatsApp message conversations between Ms Silk and the gang’s leader, Alfred Ayivor, in February 2019.
There, Silk asks the kingpin, “So what’s my cut?”
“How about $100,000,” Ayivor replied.
“$250,000,” Silk said. “Without me, everyone gets nothing.”
She then reportedly warned that she could push back on the apparent scam unless she was properly paid. “I could always call and say it was a scam.”
Rebecca Jade Silk, a swim school teacher from Sydney’s northern beaches, is embroiled in a romance scam investigation by African authorities
Law enforcement documents, seen by Daily Mail Australia, show alleged WhatsApp message conversations between Ms Silk and the gang’s leader in Ghana, West Africa
Rebecca Silk was recruited to play the role of an attractive mining heiress, Ghanaian authorities claim
Rebecca demanded more money for her part in the scam, according to text messages seen by Daily Mail Australia
In another series of messages with Ayivor, Silk describes her victim as ‘brutal’
The EOCO claims that after the deal with Ayivor was closed, Silk flew to the United States and met the unsuspecting radiologist.
Ayivor, posing as ‘Grace’, had been texting the doctor daily for months in an attempt to make him believe he had a future with the stunning Australian – who, as the story would go, happened to own a gold mine.
Photos showed Silk with his family, staying at his home and cooking for the doctor – while she showed off her international travels by posting photos of her lavish world trip to Instagram.
She also later allegedly played her part in the scam in Ghana, accompanying the beaten American to the country’s capital, Accra.
Ghanaian authorities claim she told Ayivor: “He’s so dirty… I won’t open my legs for him.”
In Accra, they met fake lawyers and business executives in a setup by Ayivor, who posed as their driver.
Convinced that the elaborate scam was real and that Grace was a mining heiress who inherited the family business in Ghana, the doctor transferred large sums of money for a stake in her supposedly non-existent gold mine.
He hoped to make a profit on his investment, which would keep him and his love for life.
Australian swimming school teacher and alleged participant in African romance scam Rebecca Jade Silk with US doctor allegedly targeted by Ghanaian gang
Rebecca was enjoying international travel around the time the alleged scam occurred. Above, in Bangkok
It is not known how Rebecca allegedly became involved with African fraudsters, but Ghanaian authorities have obtained a series of WhatsApp messages between her and Alfred Ayivor. Alfred Ayivor, above, posed as a driver in Ghana to keep a close eye on his alleged victim
But after learning about the large cash transfers, his concerned family contacted the FBI, who turned the file over to the Ghana Organized Crime Unit, resulting in an international investigation.
Alfred Ayivor was arrested, but died of an unknown illness before standing trial.
It was through his seized devices that conversations between him and Silk came to light.
Silk has not been charged with any criminal offences, but remains a person of interest to the Ghanaian police.
She did not respond when contacted by Daily Mail Australia with questions.
But her boyfriend, Tendia Tudela, claimed that his girlfriend was unwilling to participate in the scam and did not benefit financially from it.
“They had something on them,” Tudela told Daily Mail Australia. “She didn’t get that money.”
When asked why the text messages between Silk and Ayivor appeared to show her demanding a bigger discount on her part, he said Silk had done so to “stop them from asking her to go.”
The Australian Federal Police declined to comment, saying they cannot comment on investigations conducted by Ghanaian authorities.