Six Nigerian nationals accused of defrauding more than 100 American women of over $6 million through online romance scams have been extradited from South Africa to the United States.
South Africa’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known as the Hawks, said the six men are alleged members of the Black Axe organised crime network and are wanted by US authorities on charges including wire fraud and money laundering.
The suspects were arrested in South Africa in 2021 following a major law-enforcement operation targeting the group’s activities in Cape Town.
According to the Hawks, the alleged victims included pensioners and businesspeople who were drawn into sophisticated online relationships before being persuaded to transfer money.
Authorities say more than R100 million, equivalent to over $6 million, was allegedly stolen from more than 100 women in the United States.
The six men were transferred from a Cape Town correctional facility to Cape Town International Airport, where they were handed over to officials from the FBI and US Secret Service.
South African authorities said the extradition was coordinated through INTERPOL South Africa as part of international efforts to disrupt transnational organised crime.
Black Axe network
Black Axe, also known as the Neo Black Movement of Africa, originated in Nigeria and operates through regional chapters known as “zones”.
US prosecutors have previously described its Cape Town network as being involved in widespread internet fraud, including romance scams, advance-fee schemes and business email compromise fraud.
In a 2021 federal case, the US Justice Department charged eight Nigerian nationals over an alleged fraud network operating from Cape Town between 2011 and 2021.
Prosecutors alleged that several of the defendants were leaders or members of Black Axe’s Cape Town Zone and worked together to identify victims through social media, dating websites and internet-based communications.
The suspects allegedly adopted false identities and cultivated online romantic relationships before inventing emergencies or financial difficulties that required victims to send money or valuable goods.
One recurring scenario involved scammers claiming to have travelled to Cape Town for construction work before suffering a series of supposed emergencies.
Victims were allegedly told that their online partner had been robbed, needed electronic equipment replaced, required money to repair faulty construction equipment or needed funds for legal costs and taxes.
US court documents allege that the conspirators also created additional fictional characters, including relatives, business associates and friends, to make the stories appear more convincing.
In some cases, victims were persuaded to open US bank accounts that were subsequently used by members of the alleged network.
Prosecutors said money obtained through romance scams and other fraud schemes was moved through American financial accounts before being transferred to South Africa.
Businesses were also allegedly used to conceal the source and destination of fraud proceeds.
The US charges include conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, offences which can carry prison sentences of up to 20 years if defendants are convicted.
All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Wider crackdown
The extraditions come amid an intensified international crackdown on West African organised crime networks involved in cyber-enabled financial fraud.
INTERPOL said in August that an eight-month operation involving 23 countries had resulted in 58 arrests and the identification of 263 suspects linked to West African criminal networks.
Operation Jackal IV, conducted between November 2025 and June 2026, targeted money laundering and criminal networks involved in romance scams, cryptocurrency fraud, investment scams and business email compromise schemes.
In South Africa, authorities raided seven locations linked to an alleged romance and investment fraud network, resulting in dozens of arrests and the freezing of more than 250 bank accounts.
INTERPOL has identified groups including Black Axe as a major component of the growing international threat posed by organised cyber fraud networks.
Other suspected Black Axe members have also faced arrests and extradition proceedings in Europe and the United States as authorities increasingly target the group’s financial infrastructure and international leadership.
