CAPE TOWN - Six Nigerian men accused of an organised crime network are being extradited to the United States on Friday afternoon.
The supposed Black Axe members allegedly defrauded over a hundred US women of more than R100 million through an online love scam site.
They were arrested in South Africa in 2021 and face multiple charges.
READ: Inside the Nigerian romance-scam network SA is sending to the US
The six men were brought to the Cape Town International Airport on Friday afternoon and are now in the custody of Interpol and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The Hawks say the victims include pensioners and businesspeople.
Members of the 'Black Axe' allegedly used sophisticated online relationships to steal the money.
READ: Six Nigerians to be extradited to US over alleged R100m romance scam
Online romance scams have become a growing form of transnational cybercrime, with fraudsters using fake identities on dating websites and social media to gain victims' trust before tricking them into sending money.
In 2022, an Instagram influencer from Nigeria Ramon Abbas was jailed for more than 11 years in the US for his role in an international fraud syndicate.
- Additional reporting by AFP