Six Nigerian nationals accused of participating in a criminal ring that extorted more than $6 million from more than 100 American women through online romantic dating have been extradited from South Africa to the United States, CBS News reported.
According to law enforcement officials, men connected with the international Black Ax criminal organization were arrested back in 2021 in Cape Town. On Friday, they will be handed over to the representatives of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US Secret Service, after which they will be transferred to the United States. There they will be charged with wire fraud and money laundering.
According to the police, the criminals met American women on the Internet and built long-term romantic relationships with them. Among the alleged victims were retired women and businessmen. Having gained the women's trust, the criminals allegedly convinced them to transfer money.
South African police believe the six men are members of the Nigerian criminal network Black Ax, which Interpol has linked to a significant amount of financial cybercrime around the world. The organization is particularly involved in romance and investment scams, as well as crimes involving the use of cryptocurrencies.
On Friday, the men were transferred from the Cape Town Correctional Facility to the international airport, where they were handed over to American law enforcement. South African police representative Katlegu Mogale said that Interpol coordinated the extradition.
This is not the first time when the alleged leader of Black Ax has been handed over to the American authorities. About two years ago, one of the prominent leaders of the organization was extradited to the United States, accused of conspiracy to commit Internet fraud and money laundering.
Recently, international law enforcement agencies have strengthened the fight against West African criminal networks. During the recent operation of Interpol, 58 people were arrested, and the identities of 263 suspects related to various criminal groups were revealed. In South Africa, police have carried out seven raids in Johannesburg, where a ring was operating that engaged in romance and investment fraud against residents of English-speaking countries, primarily pensioners. At that time, 39 people were arrested, 2.67 million dollars were confiscated, and more than 250 bank accounts were frozen.
The scale of the problem in the US remains significant. According to the Federal Trade Commission, in 2023, more than 64,000 Americans fell victim to romance scams, and they lost more than $1 billion in total. In four years, the volume of such losses has approximately doubled.
