Eight Nigerian men accused of an internet dating scam have been charged in a South African court after a massive international operation involving the FBI and Interpol.
Authorities in the US, where the investigation originated and most of the alleged victims are based, have applied for their extradition.
They are accused of defrauding more than 100 victims of almost $7m (£5m) in total over the past decade.
They have not commented on the charges.
It is the biggest such bust in South Africa, according to police spokeswoman Col Katlego Mogale.
The suspects, aged between 33 and 52, were arrested in Cape Town on Tuesday following a legal assistance request from the US.
9
Enjoy being online again!
Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.Create your free account
9 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.
According to the local news channel they arrested eight of them in Cape Town. They scammed in the region of 100 million Rand.
...this is just this lot. There are many other syndicates amongst us that we're not even aware of. I personally know of a few South African women who were scammed.
TimeOutForMe
Level 8
Oct 21, 2021
2
It was all over the various news channels yesterday.
TimeOutForMe
Level 8
Oct 21, 2021
1
On dating sites, you can never be sure someone else on them is a real person, or the person they say they are, unless you actually talk to them on the phone or video chat or meet in person. Otherwise, they could be the opposite gender of what they claim to be, not be the same age they say, etc. And even after those filters, of phone, video chat, or in person meeting, they could still be using a fake name or identity, so, if I were a woman, or even a man, if the person was asking for money, or wanting to come visit me from far away, I would do some background checking on them, just to protect myself, before ever letting them visit me at my home or giving them money. I don't see why any sane person would give money to someone they had never met in person, or had only known a short while, no matter what reason or sob story they gave. I have my own money, and if they don't have theirs to spend on visiting me, on around the same level as me, then I shouldn't be involved with them, as the relationship will never have balance on finances and will not be one of equals. I will settle for nothing less than that.
TomMcGiverin
Level 8
Oct 20, 2021
1
I agree totally. Over the last few years, I have allowed just two men to visit me from far away, which was a risk, but checked them out completely, also Zoomed with them for months (in one case, a year and a half). While not love matches exactly, they were both very interesting people with whom I am still very much in touch. I have my own money and house, and so did they. Being on equal footing is very important.
I have never understood how anyone could fall with those scams. I am delighted though that some of them are going to pay for there crimes.
Since most of their victims are American does this mean that we are dumber than most? I don't think I need an answer to that question.
Lorajay
Level 9
Oct 20, 2021
4
We may have a stronger sense of self (or perhaps I'm just dead-on cynical), but some people are very vulnerable emotionally, and willing to believe someone who woos them with flattery about how special they are, and takes away some of their loneliness. Then the manipulation becomes emotional abuse.
I hope these guys get a long sentence with no digital access, although I suspect they won't.
I believe it means we are targeted the most. Americans are often stereotyped as wealthy, lonely, and amazingly gullible. Unfortunately, that's an accurate enough assessment that it can make casting those scammer nets somewhat lucrative.
I too was on dating sites. The last time was in 2012. More than 70% on those sites are fraudsters, liars and other.
I was always alert as to what to look out for. I've attended forensic workshops from time to time so I had an advantage thankfully.
I was however contacted by someone on ag.com. He Pm'd me and told me he had to speak to someone because he was going in for cancer treatment the next day and was feeling very down. He wanted my contact number. I was off course very reluctant to do so. My gut told me nooooo but my compassionate nature kicked in. I viewed his profile, it looked ago with no good reason to decline him but still felt uneasy about it. I thought - why couldn't he speak to any other American on here. I was two-minded but gave in and provided my cell number. The next two days there was an attempt to compromise my Gmail address. I was contacted twice to verify whether it was me and both times I responded NO. I confronted this person on Ag.com and he denied it and laughed at it then I blocked him. It was just too much of a coincidence and I told him so. Later on he managed to contact me again and I blocked him again. His profile seemed good enough but it's these intelligent people that are capable scamsters. I found out he spent time in prison and his profile is still on this site. I was just reluctant to provide any other personal information about me. He became personal too quickly and I picked that up. Lucky for Me.
Any princes among the defendants?
barjoe
Level 9
Oct 20, 2021
6
Yes. There are the princes of Bongo Bongo Land, Black Cretin Land and ScrewYou Land.
Enjoy being online again!
Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.Create your free account
Share this post
Categories
Agnostic does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any content. Read full disclaimer.