Crime11 September, 20263 min read
South Africa Extradites Six Nigerians to US Over $6 Million Romance Scam
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Six Nigerian nationals to be extradited to the United States over romance scams. The group allegedly targeted more than 100 U.S. women, defrauding over 100 million rand.
8 outlets told this the same way.
Extradition to US
South African authorities are set to extradite six Nigerian nationals to the United States over alleged involvement in an international online fraud operation targeting victims through romance scams. The suspects were arrested in South Africa in 2021 during a major operation by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known as the Hawks, in collaboration with Interpol South Africa. US authorities accuse the six men of belonging to the Black Axe organised criminal network and have charged them with wire fraud and money laundering.
The Hawks said the extradition reflects continued cooperation between South African authorities and international law enforcement agencies in tackling cross-border organised crime, and the transfer is described as moving the suspects from a correctional facility in Cape Town to Cape Town International Airport for handover to FBI and Secret Service officials. Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said in a statement that “Some of their reported victims included pensioners and businesspeople” who were targeted through sophisticated online relationships used to defraud them of their money.
Numbers and charges
South African police said the six men allegedly targeted more than 100 women in the US, defrauding them of over R100 million through elaborate online relationships. The BBC reported the suspects are accused of targeting more dan 100 women across the US and allegedly defrauding dem of more dan 100 million rand ($6.2 million), and it said they were expected to be handed over to agents from the FBI and US Secret Service. SABC News said the six Nigerian nationals arrived at the Cape Town International Airport for their extradition to the United States and that they will await trial upon arriving on US soil.
Katlego Mogale explained to SABC News that “Six Nigerian nationals are going to be extradited the United States this afternoon” after a lengthy investigation that began in 2021 in Cape Town when the group was eight of them. Arise News said the six suspects would be transported from a correctional facility in Cape Town to Cape Town International Airport and that “The formal handover is expected to take place this afternoon.”
Broader crackdown
The extradition is framed as part of a wider crackdown on Black Axe-linked fraud and cross-border money laundering, with Interpol described as targeting West African organised crime groups involved in similar crimes. India Today said Interpol described the Black Axe network as being among the groups responsible for a significant share of the world’s cyber-enabled financial fraud, including romance, cryptocurrency and investment scams. The same report said Interpol’s operation led to the arrest of 58 people and the identification of 263 suspects, and it said authorities in South Africa raided seven locations in Johannesburg linked to a syndicate that ran romance and investment scams targeting retirees in English-speaking countries.
In that Johannesburg operation, police arrested 39 people, seized $2.67 million in the raid, and froze USD 2.67 million in bank accounts, according to the AP material carried by guardonline. The BBC also linked the extradition to continued cooperation between South African and international law enforcement agencies, and it noted that “Barely two weeks ago, two Nigerians land America to face prosecution” over alleged online sextortion schemes tied to the death of an American teenager.