Suspected romance scammers with ties to Nigerian syndicate arrested in Cape Town

Spokesperson Katlego Mogale gives detail on the joint operation that led the Hawks and FBI to bring down eight romance scammers in Cape Town.

• 8 suspected fraudsters have been arrested in Cape Town by the FBI, Hawks, and other law enforcement agencies

• The men are accused of scamming victims using social media and online dating websites

• The scams have seen more than 100 people being duped out of around R100 million in the past decade

• The police's Katlego Mogale says the suspects will appear in court on Wednesday

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A group of foreign nationals has been arrested in Cape Town in connection with international internet fraud scams investigated by the Hawks and US authorities.

The Hawks, the FBI, and Interpol arrested eight suspects linked to "romance scams" in which scores of women have been defrauded around the world.

Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale says the suspects, aged between 33 to 52, were arrested on Tuesday morning for their involvement in internet scams, money laundering, and international-wide scale financial fraud.

They will be charged with a variety of financial crimes, including conspiracy to commit wire/mail fraud/mail and money laundering.

The suspects are due to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court on Wednesday.

According to Mogale, the suspects are alleged to have ties to a transnational organised crime syndicate originating in Nigeria.

The FBI estimates that more than 100 people lost more than R100 million in the romance scams from 2011 till to date.

The fraudsters allegedly preyed on women, especially widows or divorcees, who were led to believe that they were in genuine romantic relationships but were scammed out of their hard-earned money.

The suspects used social media websites, online dating websites to find and connect with their victims, using fake names and profiles.

Eight foreign nationals aged between 33 to 52 were arrested for internet scams, money laundering and international-wide scale financial fraud in Cape Town.

Colonel Katlego Mogale, Spokesperson - Hawks

The indictment indicates that the suspects... were defrauding victims in an online, social media scam or dating scam, internet fraud, and money laundering.

Colonel Katlego Mogale, Spokesperson - Hawks

The suspects will be appearing tomorrow in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court.

Colonel Katlego Mogale, Spokesperson - Hawks

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