South Africa to Extradite Six Nigerians to US Over $6 Million Romance Scam

Six Nigerian nationals accused of belonging to an organised criminal network that allegedly defrauded American women of more than $6 million through online romance scams will be extradited to the United States, South African police said.

The men were arrested in Cape Town in 2021 and are scheduled to be handed over to Federal Bureau of Investigation officials on Friday before being flown to the US to face wire fraud and money laundering charges.

According to South African police, the suspects targeted more than 100 women in the US, including pensioners and businesspeople, drawing them into sophisticated online relationships before defrauding them.

Police spokesperson Katlego Mogale said the men would be moved from a correctional facility in Cape Town to Cape Town International Airport, where they would be handed over to FBI and United States Secret Service officials who arrived in the country on Friday morning. The transfer was being coordinated through Interpol South Africa.

The accused are alleged to have links to a criminal network known as Black Axe, which Interpol describes as part of groups responsible for a significant share of the world's cyber-enabled financial fraud, typically through romance scams, cryptocurrency and investment scams.

The extradition follows a recent Interpol operation targeting West African organised crime groups, which led to the arrest of 58 people and the identification of 263 suspects linked to similar criminal networks. The operation was aimed at disrupting money laundering, identifying high-value targets, seizing assets and supporting arrests and prosecution.

In South Africa, authorities raided seven locations in Johannesburg linked to a syndicate running romance and investment scams targeting retirees in English-speaking countries. Police arrested 39 people and froze $2.67 million in bank accounts.