Romance scam: Nigerian national arrested in South Africa for posing as white man on Facebook and defrauding woman of R3 million

A 39-year-old Nigerian national, Gabriel Okori was remanded in custody for theft and fraud after his arrest in connection with an R3 million romance scam in South Africa.

Okori appeared before the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Monday, October 7, 2024, after he was arrested last Thursday, in Cape Town by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as the Hawks, assisted by the City of Cape Town’s law enforcement and a private security company.

“The complainant in the matter alleges that she met what she thought was a white male on Facebook by the name of Mark Hermanus, the two exchanged cellphone numbers and began chatting on instant messaging (WhatsApp),” said Gauteng spokesperson for the Hawks, Warrant Officer Thatohatsi Mavimbela.

“While the pair were getting to know each other, ‘Mark Hermanus’ informed the complainant that his son was sick and asked the complainant to lend him money for his son’s medical bills.” 

The Hawks said the woman kept giving “Mark Hermanus” money, and the bill escalated to over R3 million. 

The man promised he would pay her back, once he had paid all his son’s medical bills. However, he never paid back the money.

“The matter was reported to the Hawks’ serious commercial crime investigation (unit) which led to the arrest of the suspect who was traced and identified as Gabriel Okori, a Nigerian national in Cape Town on Thursday, October 3,” said Mavimbela.

“Okori made his first appearance before the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Monday, where the matter was postponed to October 14.”