Two men have been jailed after using computer-generated voices and fake documents to steal thousands of pounds from victims in Basingstoke, Hampshire. Henry Nimo, 38, of Belle Vue Road, Basingstoke, and James Ashong, 40, of Burney Road, King’s Lynn, Norfolk, were each sentenced to 27 months in prison at Winchester Crown Court on 13 March 2026. The court heard how the pair were part of a group that processed more than £150,000 in stolen money through various bank accounts.
Investigators found that the men used artificial intelligence technology to create a fake voice for phone calls. They pretended to be a Danish entrepreneur to build trust with victims before tricking them into sending money. This technology made it very difficult for people to tell that the person on the phone was not real, allowing the fraudsters to carry out their scams over long periods.
To move the stolen money, Nimo set up a shell company called Henza Ltd. He used this business to process over £120,000, which was then sent to contacts believed to be in Ghana. According to the investigation led by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, the group targeted vulnerable people by building emotional trust before asking for cash.
Nimo was also found to be making and selling fake Covid-19 travel documents. He used the name of a real laboratory, Anglia DNA, to produce “Fit to Fly” certificates for people who had not actually been tested. While Nimo was convicted of fraud and document forgery, Ashong’s involvement in the criminal network was focused on laundering the proceeds of the romance scams.
