Six Nigerians extradited to US over $6M romance scam targeting American women
Six Nigerian nationals accused of swindling over 100 American women out of more than $6 million in online romance scams have been extradited to the United States.
Six Nigerian nationals accused of running an online romance scam that defrauded American women of more than $6 million have been extradited to the United States, South African police said on Friday.
The men were arrested in Cape Town in 2021 and handed over to FBI officials at the city's international airport before being placed on a flight to face charges of wire fraud and money laundering.
A police spokesperson said the extradition followed a lengthy investigation that began in 2021, when eight suspects were taken into custody. One of the original group was later granted bail of 210,000 rand (about $13,000), while another was extradited to the US earlier.
According to South African police, the suspects are alleged to have targeted more than 100 women in the United States through sophisticated online relationships, defrauding them of over $6 million. Among the alleged victims were pensioners and businesspeople.
The men are accused of belonging to a criminal network known as Black Axe, which Interpol has described as part of criminal groups responsible for a significant share of the world's cyber-enabled financial fraud, typically carried out through romance scams as well as cryptocurrency and investment schemes.
The case comes amid a broader international push against West African organized crime. Interpol said last month that a recent operation targeting such groups led to the arrest of 58 people and the identification of 263 suspects linked to various criminal networks involved in similar crimes. The operation was aimed at disrupting money laundering, identifying high-value targets, seizing assets and supporting arrests and prosecutions.
In South Africa, authorities raided seven locations in Johannesburg tied to a syndicate running romance and investment scams that targeted retirees in English-speaking countries. That operation resulted in 39 arrests, the seizure of $2.67 million and the freezing of more than 250 bank accounts, according to Interpol.