Six ‘love scammers’ to be handed over to FBI

Six men alleged to be members of the Black Axe organised criminal network will be extradited from South Africa to the US on Friday.

They are wanted by US authorities in connection with charges of wire fraud and money laundering.

The Nigerian nationals are alleged to have targeted more than 100 women in America and around the world, allegedly defrauding them of more than R100m through online romance or love scams.

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

Hawks spokesperson Col Katlego Mogale said: “The six will today [Friday] be transported from a correctional facility in Cape Town to CT International Airport, where they will be handed over to officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US Secret Service, who arrived in South Africa this morning.

“The formal handover is expected to take place this afternoon.”

Mogale said the extradition demonstrates the continued co-operation between South African law enforcement agencies and international law enforcement partners in disrupting transnational organised crime.