Romance scams are not just a distant threat; they are a growing reality for many South Africans, with organised crime syndicates leveraging online platforms to exploit the vulnerable.
Global cybersecurity and digital privacy company, Kaspersky, said in 2024, its researchers detected over 414 000 ‘Nigerian’ email scams.
Researchers said these emails relied on messages that lured victims with enticing financial offers, manipulating them into email exchanges that would ultimately be used to defraud them.
“The latest scams related to this method include romantic schemes requesting reimbursement for alleged travel expenses, fraudsters posing as wealthy individuals seeking business investments, and even scammers claiming to represent the Illuminati, a secret society that dates back to the Enlightenment era.”
Kaspersky explained that ‘Nigerian’ style scams are a type of advance fee scam in which fraudsters promise victims large sums of money, lucrative opportunities, or exclusive benefits but require an upfront payment, often disguised as processing fees, legal costs, or travel expenses, before ultimately disappearing with the money.
The original ‘Nigerian’ scam emails were sent under the names of influential and wealthy individuals from Nigeria, which is how the scam got its name. Over time, the themes of these scam emails evolved, with cybercriminals exploiting current events and popular trends to capture their targets’ interest.
Kaspersky noted that this year in South Africa, we saw a decrease in ‘Nigerian’ emails by 55%.
“This type of scam is just a small proportion of the overall email scams that we see and that include such threats as ransomware and phishing.”
For example, recently Kaspersky warned the public about emails targeting businesses with Docusign-themed phishing scams.
According to the cybersecurity company, due to the specifics of the data-gathering methodology, there is no ranking of countries.
“Still, the share of South Africa in the overall number of scams of this kind is not big. But in Kenya, for example, the so-called ‘Nigerian’ emails were reduced by 97% this year, while in Turkiye, the increase was 188%. It is difficult to predict which country will experience the peak of this type of scam in 2025.”
Kaspersky warned that they see examples of a lot more sophisticated phishing letters than ‘Nigerian’ emails.
“But if these types of emails still exist, then there are cyber attackers who find it profitable, and we can assume that there are still people who believe in stories in these letters and don’t pay due attention to securing themselves with a proper cybersecurity solution capable of spotting and blocking spam and scam campaigns.”
Romance scams are extremely common in South Africa and are mainly run by Nigerian crime syndicates like Black Axe and Yahoo Boys, according to Chad Thomas, an organised crime investigator from IRS Forensic Investigations.
However, he said syndicates also operate from the Middle and Far East, mainly targeting elderly widows and spinsters.
Thomas said IRS Forensic Investigations are fortunate to form part of multi-disciplinary inter-agency public-private partnerships that are making inroads into these scams.
“In Gauteng, the Hawks have dedicated members investigating advance fee scams in Johannesburg and Pretoria offices, and the United States Department of Homeland Security and the United States Secret Service are assisting and supporting our local law enforcement,” he said.
He said IRS Forensic Investigations have seen firsthand how devastating and destructive advance fee scams can be. “The sad reality is that scams worldwide netted around $1 trillion dollars in 2024, yet 70% of cases remain unreported.”
Rick Crouch, who is a private investigator and managing director of Rick Crouch and Associates, agrees that these scams are really prevalent in South Africa.
“We have noticed an increase of requests coming into our office over the last few months; we currently have nine open cases.”
Crouch said while there are a number of these scams perpetuated by Nigerians, they have encountered several perpetrators from other countries, mostly Eastern Europe.
In his experience, Crouch said the profile of the person that is targeted is middle-aged women who are divorced or widowed, with most encounters happening on dating apps and Facebook.
Crouch contends that South Africa is losing the battle against scammers since for every scammer that is apprehended, multiple new scammers emerge.
“It is surprising that with many of these cases, when you provide overwhelming evidence to the client that the person they are communicating with is in fact not who he says he is and everything about him is fake, they don’t believe what we are saying. So you have to wonder why they engaged us in the first place; there must have been some red flags,” he added.
Nazia Karrim, who is the head of production development at the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS), said that these scams are more prevalent in the country than people think.
With increased connectivity among South Africans and the movement towards smart devices, Karrim said connectivity across social networks is increasing at a rapid rate.
“Unfortunately, many people are reluctant to report that they have been scammed due to the trauma and feelings of embarrassment. However, scammers are very smart, and we encourage people to report these so organisations and authorities can have accurate data that can improve fraud-fighting efforts,” she said.
While there is low reporting regarding romance scams, Karrim said the financial losses associated with them are substantial due to the persuasive nature of the scammers involved.
“It is important to note that these are global scams being run by professional syndicates based everywhere in the world. Scammers are trained extensively and well-versed in current tactics, enabling them to respond calmly and smoothly while trying to connect with their target,” she said.
Scam artists target those hoping to make connections and looking for companionship, she said, emphasising that anybody who is vulnerable enough can become a victim.
“However, older adults, specifically women, can be particularly vulnerable to cybercriminals when it comes to romance scams. This scam involves a lot of human emotion, often leading to scammers asking for financial help once they have built a connection with the victim.
“They could claim it is for a surgery they need, for their children, tickets to come and see the target, an investment in a new business venture, etc. Romance scams can have devastating consequences both on an emotional and financial level,” said Karrim.
According to Karrim, scammers have been known to be very patient and will wait for an opportune moment to get to the point where they start asking for money and getting to the core mechanics of the scam.
“They will spend a lot of time befriending an individual who will slowly let their guard down.”
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We reached out to a South African woman who fell victim to a romance scam. She described her experience as a “horror story” and declined to comment further.
“I am feeling bruised and still bleeding inside, and I try to avoid repeating my horror story over and over again.”
Last year, police arrested a 42-year-old Nigerian national at a premise in Charing Crescent, Parklands in Table View, Cape Town, for scamming a Canadian citizen.
“Reports suggested that the complainant, a Canadian citizen, reported a romance scam in 2022 in which she indicated that she met an unknown person on social media, known as Raymond Butler. The suspect befriended her and they started chatting via a known website and later privately. The digital relationship expanded to the extent that the suspect convinced the complainant to invest R24 million in a project abroad,” reported the SAPS at the time.
Western Cape police spokesperson Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi said the circumstances surrounding the incident are being investigated by the provincial commercial crimes unit.
“The suspect is expected to make a court appearance in the Bellville Commercial court on Thursday, 20 February 2025.”
The daughter of a 70-year-old scam victim, seeking help on a Reddit scam page created to educate the public on scams, said her mother lost $2 million to professional fraudsters who she met on a widower website over 16 months.
“After losing my dad to Covid, her mom, and other relatives, she became lonely and vulnerable. These scammers, pretending to be Christian, manipulated her grief and depression, convincing her to send them large amounts of money.
“Despite warnings from me, my brother, and her sister, she continued to interact with them, hiding the full extent of the situation from us. Her depression and seasonal affective disorder clouded her judgment. The bank eventually noticed unusual transactions and sent the police to check on her, but she dismissed them.”
She said her mother is a former accountant and thought she was loaning the money, tracking the amounts, and interest. When a package flagged for money laundering was returned, she said her mom realised the truth and she went to the FBI and the local police.
“The financial impact is devastating: over $2 million lost, nearly $500 000 owed in taxes, and potentially losing her home and financial security. For our family, this amount is unfathomable as we live very simple lives. We’re planning to consult a lawyer and private investigator and hope for FBI assistance, though we’re not optimistic.”