Six Nigerian nationals arrested in South Africa in 2021 over an alleged romance scam targeting more than 100 Americans will today be handed over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The suspects allegedly built sophisticated online relationships with women in the United States (US), including pensioners and businesspeople, before using those relationships to defraud them of over R100 million ($6.2 million).
South Africa’s Hawks, an elite crime-fighting unit, say the men are also alleged to be members of the Black Axe, a transnational organised criminal syndicate, and face US charges of wire fraud and money laundering. The case highlights a broader shift in the cybercrime economy, where criminals can exploit human trust without ever breaching a device.
Social platforms and messaging services give fraudsters the tools to manufacture identities, build relationships, and manipulate victims across borders, turning emotional trust into a new attack surface. “The suspects are alleged to have targeted more than 100 women in the United States, allegedly defrauding them of more than R100 million ($6.2 million) through online romance or love scams,” Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said in a statement on Friday.
Among those victims were pensioners and businesspeople, Mogale said, describing the relationships as sophisticated online interactions used to defraud them of their money. The six Nigerians were arrested in South Africa in 2021 after a major takedown operation involving South African and US law enforcement agencies. The investigation involved the Hawks, the FBI, the US Secret Service and Interpol, underscoring how a scam conducted through digital channels can quickly become an international law-enforcement problem.
The suspects will be transported today from a correctional facility in Cape Town to Cape Town International Airport, where they will be handed over to FBI and US Secret Service officials. “This extradition demonstrates the continued cooperation between South