How many of us have received an email from a Nigerian prince promising us good fortune and love. Or received a Facebook request from a handsome European beau ready to give us the world, but on the condition that we send him a few bucks every now and then. Internet romance scams have become an epidemic, but the Hawks, in collaboration with the FBI and Interpol, maybe making some headway.
According to News24, eight people were apprehended in Cape Town for their alleged involvement in internet scams, money laundering and international financial fraud. The foreign nationals were linked to “romance scams” in which numerous women have been swindled out of their hard-earned cash.
The Casanovas, aged between 33 and 52, targeted vulnerable women, including widows or divorcees with whom they pretended to have serious romantic relationships, spinning their sob stories and defrauding them out of a combined R100 million, reports IOL.
According to a statement released via the Hawks, the alleged fraudsters “intimidated and berated their victims, ruined their lives and then disappeared.“
“The suspects used social media websites, online dating websites to find and connect with their victims. Other modus operandi used by the suspects includes business email compromise, where email accounts are diverted in order to change banking details. They assumed fake names and trolled dating sites,“ said Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale.
The suspects were apprehended during a large-scale operation during the early hours of October 19. They will be charged with a range of financial crimes, including conspiracy to commit wire/mail fraud/mail and money laundering.
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