Dating scams: German police arrests 11 suspected Nigerians
… Says victims lost $5.7m in 2023
German police has announced that it has arrested eleven suspected members of a criminal syndicate from Nigeria, the Black Axe, during a nationwide raids.
All eleven suspects are Nigerian citizens but most of them have been in Germany for many years. The alleged gang members are between the ages of 29 and 53.
The suspected criminals, according to the report, had lived in Germany for many years.
The report recalled, that in the German region of Bavaria in 2023 alone, there have been 450 dating scams where victims have lost about 5.3 million euros ($5.7 million).
The alleged notorious gang members who are specialized in using fake identities online, extorted money from victims after gaining their trust and promising them marriage.
According to the German police information, the gang is internationally famous for different criminal activities such as “human-trafficking, fraud, prostitution and drug-trafficking.
“In Germany, they were focusing especially on large-scale dating scams and money laundering.
The police raids targeted 19 properties in total, including both homes and refugee shelters.
The criminal gang Black Axe, whose members are estimated at around 30,000 worldwide, is reported to “camouflage” their activity disguised as charity. They operate under the auspices of the Neo Black Movement of Africa.
According to police, Black Axe has a strong influence on Nigerian politics and public administration.
Speaking on the deception schemes adopted by the fraudsters, the police described it as “modern form of marriage fraud, otherwise known as” Broken hearts scam”.
“The fraudsters created fake profiles on social networks and dating platforms where they gained the trust of victims and promised marriage after requesting money.
“The fraudsters transferred money to Black Axe in Nigeria “via financial agents,” authorities said.
