Get real time updates directly on you device, subscribe now.
German police said that 11 alleged members of the Nigerian mafia gang responsible for a massive dating fraud have been arrested.
The alleged Black Axe gang was involved internationally in “multiple areas of criminal activity,” with a focus in Germany on dating scams and money laundering, Bavarian police said in a statement.
The dating trick was a “modern form of marriage fraud.
“Using false identities, the fraudsters for example signalled their intention to marry and in the course of further contact repeatedly demand money under various pretexts,” police said.
The money was subsequently transferred to Black Axe in Nigeria “via financial agents”, authorities said.
In the process, the gang used a “commodity-based money laundering” scheme where products, often with a seeming “charitable purpose” were bought and delivered to Nigeria.
Some 450 cases of romance scamming had been reported in the region of Bavaria in 2023 alone, with the damages rising to 5.3 million euros ($5.7 million), police said.
The suspects, who all held Nigerian citizenship and were aged between 29 and 53, were arrested in nationwide raids on Tuesday.
Related Posts
Law enforcement swooped on 19 properties, including both homes and asylum shelters, police said.
The Black Axe gang had “strict hierarchical structures under leadership in Nigeria” operating different territorial units, police said.
The group had a “significant influence” on politics and public administrations, in particular in Nigeria.
Globally, the gang’s main areas of operation were “human-trafficking, fraud, money-laundering, prostitution and drug-trafficking.”
The action against Black Axe was the first of its kind in Germany, police said.
