A 39-year-old Nigerian, has been charged with fraud and theft after allegedly duping an online acquaintance of approximately R3 million.
The arrest took place in Cape Town, South Africa in October, when the Hawks, working with Cape Town’s law enforcement and a private security company, detained him.
The Hawks in Gauteng reported that Okori met his victim, a woman whose identity has been withheld, online.
She believed she had found her “Prince Charming” in a man named “Mark Hermanus,” who, as it turned out, was anything but. After exchanging numbers, they began communicating on WhatsApp.
During their chats, “Mark Hermanus” fabricated a story about his son falling ill and asked the woman to lend him money for his medical bills. Over time, the woman, with good intentions, continued to send money, believing the man’s story, which eventually totaled over R3 million.
As the bills accumulated, “Mark” assured her that once his son’s medical issues were settled, he would repay the money. Of course, no repayment ever came.
The Hawks’ serious commercial crime unit took over the case, tracing Okori to Cape Town, where he was identified as the suspect.
He was arrested on October 3 and appeared in Pretoria Magistrate’s Court for the first time last week, followed by a second appearance on Monday.
These types of online romance scams have become a significant issue in South Africa. In one similar case in July, a woman in her 50s lost R2.8 million from her pension after falling for a man who had pretended to be in love with her.
The man, identified as Henry Mugisha, tricked the woman over the course of a year into believing he was a genuine partner before disappearing with her pension money.
Mugisha, who had initially met the woman in January 2023 at her job in a public school, promised a joint business venture and convinced her to leave her government job and cash out her pension to invest in the project.
She was even persuaded to give part of the money to “ancestors” for a blessing before the business venture collapsed and Mugisha vanished.
Left destitute, the woman reported the incident to Pretoria North SAPS, though her trust in love left her financially ruined.