Six Nigerian nationals accused of defrauding more than 100 American women of over R100 million through online romance scams are being extradited from South Africa to the United States.
The suspects are allegedly linked to the Black Axe organised crime network and are wanted in the US on charges of wire fraud and money laundering.
Hawks spokesperson Katlego Mogale says the alleged victims included pensioners and business owners who were targeted through sophisticated online relationships.
“Among the alleged victims were pensioners and business people through sophisticated online relationships used to defraud them of more than a hundred million rands,” Mogale said.
The six suspects were arrested in South Africa in 2021 during a major Hawks operation and have remained in custody at a correctional facility in Cape Town.
Mogale says the suspects will be transported from the prison to Cape Town International Airport, where they will be handed over to officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the United States Secret Service.
Officials from both US agencies arrived in South Africa on Friday to facilitate the extradition.
The suspects are expected to face the US justice system over the alleged fraud and money laundering offences.