A self-proclaimed prophet in Zimbabwe has been arrested after scamming a woman out of $2,800 (approximately ₦4.2 million) by claiming her late father owed a mysterious “spiritual debt” of $6,000 (about ₦9.2 million).
How the alleged scam began
The victim, identified as 27-year-old Pride Gamure, had visited the shrine of 25-year-old Tinashe Aiumando in Harare, Zimbabwe, seeking spiritual cleansing. During the consultation, Aiumando claimed Pride was under a dark spiritual cloud and instructed her to pray at three separate locations to be freed.
Trusting the supposed prophecy, Pride agreed to travel with him on June 20, 2025. Along the journey, Aiumando contacted another self-styled prophet, Leonard, who joined them.
Dramatic prayer session and shocking demand
Just a few kilometres into the trip, Leonard’s vehicle allegedly broke down, leading to a dramatic prayer session. During the prayers, Leonard declared he had been filled with the Holy Spirit and announced that Pride’s late father—whom he had never met—owed him a spiritual debt of $6,000.
Fearing disaster, Pride urgently called her brother, who sent $2,800 to Aiumando as part payment of the supposed debt. However, after regaining her composure, Pride realised the story seemed suspicious and reported the incident to local police.
Arrest, confession, and sentencing
Aiumando was arrested soon after. Police recovered $1,645 of the money. In court, he confessed that the prophecy and the entire scheme had been fabricated to extort money from Pride.
The Western Communal Court in Zimbabwe convicted Aiumando and sentenced him to 440 hours of community service at Nkulumane High School. Additionally, the court ordered him to repay $1,155 to the victim through the clerk of court.
Similar fraud cases make headlines
In a related case, scammers posing as Hollywood actor Brad Pitt swindled a French woman out of ₦1.3 billion. The fraudsters were eventually traced to Nigeria.
Separately, a viral video recently showed a Nigerian woman confronting her pastor for ignoring her requests to refund ₦90,000, which she had mistakenly sent as tithe instead of ₦10,000.
