Six Nigerians accused of running a romance scam that allegedly cheated more than 100 people in the United States out of more than 100 million rand ($6 million; £5 million) are being transferred from South Africa to US authorities for prosecution.
The suspects, who have been in custody since their arrest in 2021, are believed to have links to Black Axe, a Nigerian criminal network associated with internet fraud, human trafficking and murder.
South Africa's elite Hawks police unit said the six would leave a correctional facility in Cape Town on Friday morning before being taken to the airport and handed over to US officials.
Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said the suspects would be received by officials from the FBI and the United States Secret Service.
The six are expected to face wire fraud and money-laundering charges once they arrive in the US.
"The group will be transported from a correctional facility in Cape Town" to the airport, where they will be "handed over to officials from the FBI and the United States Secret Service", Mogale said in a statement.
The identities of those being extradited have not been made public by either South African or US authorities.
The alleged victims included pensioners and businesspeople who were drawn into relationships with people they believed were genuine online contacts.
According to the Hawks, the suspects allegedly built trust with their targets through "sophisticated online relationships used to defraud them of their money".
Investigators say the alleged operation relied on social media, dating platforms and internet-based phone calls to reach victims in the US.
The suspects allegedly used different aliases while communicating with their targets and, after establishing relationships, made various requests for financial help.
Some of the money was allegedly moved through bank accounts belonging to victims and other people with US-based financial accounts before being transferred to South Africa.
In some cases, prosecutors said victims were persuaded to open US financial accounts that the alleged criminals could then access.
The FBI has previously sought information from victims in New Jersey about the alleged scheme and the methods used to obtain money from unsuspecting people.
One of the stories allegedly used by the suspects involved a supposed romantic partner who claimed to be travelling to Cape Town for a construction job.
The person would then allegedly tell the victim that they had been robbed and ask for a phone and other electronic devices to be sent to South Africa.
Other victims were allegedly told that their online partner needed money to deal with problems at a construction site.
The requests reportedly included funds to repair a faulty crane, cover legal costs arising from an accident at the site or pay foreign taxes needed to release a larger amount of money supposedly owed to them.
The case forms part of wider international efforts to dismantle Black Axe networks accused of carrying out internet fraud across several countries.
The organisation, which began as a Nigerian student fraternity, has since been linked to organised crime and is active across Africa, Europe and North America.
A BBC investigation published in 2021 described Black Axe as a far-reaching and dangerous organised crime network.
Nigeria remains its main recruitment ground, with many members said to have been recruited while at university.
US authorities began operations targeting Black Axe in November 2019 and September 2021. Those investigations eventually resulted in charges against more than 35 people over internet fraud involving millions of dollars.
International operations against suspected Black Axe members have continued, with Interpol coordinating efforts in several countries.
Between November 2025 and June 2026, Interpol said authorities raided seven sites in South Africa linked to a syndicate accused of carrying out romance and investment scams.
The operation resulted in 39 arrests, the seizure of money and the blocking of more than 250 bank accounts.
In 2021, the US Justice Department also announced federal charges against eight men allegedly linked to Black Axe.
Prosecutors accused the group of taking part in widespread internet fraud, including romance scams and advance-fee schemes targeting people in the US.
The six Nigerians now face the next stage of the case after South African authorities agreed to hand them over to US law enforcement.