South Africa to extradite six Nigerians to US over $6.2m romance scam

South Africa is set to extradite six Nigerian nationals to the United States on Friday over allegations that they defrauded more than 100 victims of over $6 million through an online romance scam.

The suspects are allegedly members of an organised criminal network known as Black Axe and are wanted by US authorities for offences including wire fraud and money laundering, according to South Africa’s elite police unit, the Hawks.

The six men were arrested in South Africa in 2021 following a major crackdown on the alleged criminal network.

The Hawks said the suspects allegedly targeted more than 100 women in the United States, defrauding them of over R100 million, equivalent to about $6.2 million, through online romance or love scams.

Hawks spokesperson, Colonel Katlego Mogale, said some of the alleged victims were pensioners and businesspeople who were targeted through carefully developed online relationships.

“Among the alleged victims were pensioners and businesspeople who were reportedly targeted through sophisticated online relationships used to defraud them of their money,” Mogale said.

She added that the suspects would be handed over to officials of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US Secret Service at Cape Town International Airport on Friday.

Romance scams have increasingly emerged as a form of transnational cybercrime, with fraudsters creating false identities on dating platforms and social media to establish relationships with unsuspecting victims before manipulating them into transferring money.

The extradition follows the US authorities’ pursuit of the suspects over the alleged financial crimes and is expected to enable them to face the charges against them in the United States.