Six Nigerians arrested in Cape Town in 2021 were yesterday, Friday September 12, 2026, extradited to the United States to face charges of wire fraud and money laundering.
The charges are linked to an international romance-scam operation that allegedly targeted more than 100 American women and stole more than R100 million, said the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, commonly known as the Hawks.
The men allegedly promised love, then built relationships, gaining the trust of their victims and then, investigators allege, the money - R100 million - started flowing into alleged scammers hands.
The six men are alleged to be members of the Black Axe organised criminal network and are wanted by US authorities over their alleged involvement in sophisticated online “love scams”, according to the Hawks.
Among the alleged victims were pensioners and businesspeople who were reportedly drawn into relationships online before being persuaded to hand over their money.
The men were transported from a correctional facility in Cape Town to Cape Town International Airport, where they were handed over to officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US Secret Service and left on a chartered flight to the US.
The extradition was facilitated by the Hawks in cooperation with INTERPOL South Africa.
Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said the six suspects were arrested in South Africa in 2021 following a major takedown operation.
The case has taken almost five years to reach the point of extradition.
Mogale said the alleged victims had been targeted through sophisticated online relationships.
How investigators say the scams worked
The allegations reveal how a romance scam can begin with something that appears entirely ordinary - a conversation online - before developing into an elaborate fraud.
US prosecutors have previously detailed the alleged methods used by the Cape Town-based Black Axe network.
According to the US Department of Justice, members allegedly used social media, online dating sites and internet-based telephone numbers to find and communicate with victims in the United States.
They allegedly operated under false names and identities while presenting themselves as potential romantic partners.
One recurring story allegedly involved a supposed love interest travelling to Cape Town to work on a construction project.
The victim would then be told that the man had been robbed and needed phones, tablets or computers sent to South Africa.
In other cases, according to US prosecutors, the supposed romantic partner needed money to repair a faulty crane, pay legal costs following an accident at a construction site or settle foreign taxes before receiving a larger amount of money.
The requests were allegedly designed to make the victim believe that the person they had fallen in love with was facing a genuine emergency.
And because the relationship had already been built on trust, the request for money could appear to be an act of helping someone they loved rather than a financial transaction with a stranger.
US prosecutors have also alleged that some victims faced further manipulation when they became reluctant to send money, including threats involving personally sensitive photographs.
The alleged operation did not end with the money being received.
US authorities say members of the network also used bank accounts and business entities to move and conceal proceeds from the alleged fraud. The Cape Town group was also accused of alleged involvement in advance-fee schemes and business-email compromise fraud.
Cape Town at the centre of an international investigation
The scale and sophistication of the alleged operation have placed Cape Town at the centre of an international investigation into Black Axe.
The US Department of Justice has previously described the Cape Town group as a zone of the Neo Black Movement of Africa, also known as Black Axe, and said the alleged criminal activity stretched over years.
In a previous case, US prosecutors alleged that Black Axe members operating from Cape Town had been involved in widespread internet fraud from at least 2011 to 2021.
The US authorities have also previously prosecuted a senior alleged Cape Town Black Axe member over internet scams and money laundering, describing romance scams as one part of the group's alleged criminal activity.
The six suspects being extradited now have been fighting the extradition process in South Africa since their arrests.
The Cape Town Magistrates’ Court found in 2024 that there was sufficient evidence for the extradition proceedings to continue.
The Western Cape High Court subsequently dismissed an appeal by the accused in April, paving the way for the extradition.
The latest move brings the long-running South African proceedings to an end as the men are handed over to US authorities to face the charges there.
Cyber-enabled organised crime
The case also highlights the growing international reach of cyber-enabled organised crime.
INTERPOL has identified Black Axe and related West African criminal networks as being involved in transnational financial crimes, including romance scams as well as cryptocurrency and investment scams. AP reported that the organisation is regarded by INTERPOL as part of a wider network responsible for a significant share of cyber-enabled financial fraud.
For South African investigators, the case demonstrates the importance of international cooperation when criminal networks operate across borders.
“This extradition demonstrates the continued cooperation between South African law enforcement agencies and international law enforcement partners in disrupting transnational organised crime and ensuring that suspects wanted in other jurisdictions face due legal process,” the Hawks said.
For the alleged victims, however, the crime was much more personal.
They were not simply targeted as bank-account numbers.
They were allegedly courted, deceived and manipulated by people pretending to be romantic partners.
A message, a phone call or a photograph could be the beginning of a relationship that appeared genuine. Behind the screen, investigators allege, was a criminal operation designed to turn emotional trust into financial gain.
Now, after years of arrests, court proceedings and extradition battles, the six men will face the US justice system. They remain accused of the crimes and are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) has reported that South Africa has the highest number of identified Black Axe zones in Africa.
In its report, The Black Axe Puzzle in South Africa: Layers of Criminal Culpability, the ISS identified six zones in Cape Town, Durban, Ekurhuleni, western and northern Gauteng, Johannesburg and Pretoria.
The report said members were predominantly Nigerian, with some having lived in South Africa for between five and 30 years. It also noted that information about the recruitment of non-Nigerians remained unconfirmed.
According to the ISS, Black Axe’s expansion has been linked to social and economic pressures, migration and the strategies of organised-crime networks.
The report said formal zonal structures began emerging in South Africa in the early 2000s as the Nigerian diaspora grew. One of the earliest zones, the South Africa Zone, was reportedly established around 2003.
The US Department of Justice has previously linked alleged Black Axe members operating from Cape Town to romance scams, advance-fee schemes, business-email compromise and money laundering.
The psychology behind scams
Romance scams work because the fraud is built on trust before money.
Research shows that scammers often groom victims over time, using frequent communication, emotional intimacy, flattery and promises of a future together to create a sense of genuine attachment.
Research on romance scams suggests that perpetrators often build emotional intimacy and trust before requesting money, leaving victims with both financial losses and emotional distress.
Once a victim believes the relationship is real, requests for money can feel like helping a loved one rather than handing money to a stranger.
Researchers also describe a “double hit”: victims can lose both their money and a relationship they genuinely believed existed, which can lead to shame, grief and difficulty accepting that they have been deceived.
What to do if you suspect a romance scam
South African Police Service advice includes reporting suspected cybercrime, identity theft and commercial scams to your local police station. If you have lost money, contact your bank or financial institution immediately and report the matter to police.
Also say the SAPS and Hawks:
- Don't send any more money.
- Do keep screenshots of messages, profiles, phone numbers and payment records.
- Don't delete the conversations before preserving the evidence.
- Report the suspected fraud at your nearest SAPS station.
- Ask for the CAS number and keep it for future enquiries.
- If you have given the scammer banking or identity information, contact your bank and secure your accounts.
- Be wary of anyone who later promises to recover your stolen money for a fee.
- Most importantly, don't humiliate or isolate the person being scammed. Keep communication open so they will continue telling family or friends what is happening. - additional reporting The National