In brief
Six individuals, part of the notorious Black Axe criminal syndicate, have been arrested in South Africa for executing large-scale romance scams that defrauded over 100 U.S. victims of more than 100 million rand ($6 million). The suspects, who were detained in 2021, will be transported from a Cape Town correctional facility to an airport for handover to FBI agents. They face wire‑fraud and money‑laundering charges in the U.S. Investigation into the gang has seen multiple international operations, with Interpol raiding several South African sites linked to romance and investment scams last year.
South African police are handing over six Nigerians wanted in the U.S. for alleged online romance scams to FBI agents later on Friday. The group is accused of targeting more than 100 women in the U.S. and defrauding them of over 100 million rand ($6 million; £5 million). The suspects were arrested in 2021 and are believed to be members of the crime syndicate Black Axe—a Nigerian mafia‑style gang tied to human trafficking, internet fraud and murder.
Victims included pensioners and business owners who were lured through sophisticated online relationships. South Africa’s elite Hawks police unit describes the scams as a calculated use of romance to siphon money from unsuspecting victims. Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said the individuals will be transported from a correctional facility in Cape Town to the airport on Friday morning, where they will be handed over to officials from the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service.
They will face wire‑fraud and money‑laundering charges upon arrival in the U.S., Mogale added. The operation expands on a series of FBI and Interpol initiatives that have targeted Black Axe over the past few years, including raids across Africa, Europe and North America and the recent Interpol operation that seized money and blocked bank accounts linked to romance and investment scams in South Africa.
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