Six Nigerians Extradited From South Africa Over $6m Romance Fraud Targeting American Women
Six Nigerian nationals linked to an organized criminal syndicate have been extradited to the United States for allegedly swindling over 100 American women out of more than $6 million through online romance scams.
South African police confirmed on Friday that the suspects, arrested in Cape Town in 2021, were handed over to officials of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, and the United States Secret Service at the Cape Town International Airport for onward transportation to the US to face wire fraud and money laundering charges.
According to the Associated Press, the men are accused of belonging to the Black Axe confraternity, a criminal network which Interpol describes as responsible for a significant share of the world’s cyber-enabled financial fraud through romance scams, cryptocurrency and investment scams.
Police spokesperson, Katlego Mogale, said the group allegedly targeted over 100 women in the US, including pensioners and business people, using sophisticated online relationships.
“Through the coordination of Interpol South Africa, the six will today be transported from a correctional facility in Cape Town to Cape Town International Airport, where they will be handed over to officials from the FBI and the United States Secret Service, who arrived in South Africa this morning,” Mogale said.
The extradition comes as Interpol intensifies crackdown on West African organised crime, with 58 arrests and 263 suspects identified in a recent operation targeting money laundering and romance fraud syndicates.
