A 39-year-old Nigerian national, Gabriel Okori, is facing fraud and theft charges after his arrest in connection with a R3 million romance scam.
Okori appeared before the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Monday, October 7th, 2024, a case that highlights the devastating impact of online romance scams targeting vulnerable South African women.
The Hawks, assisted by Cape Town law enforcement and a private security firm, apprehended Okori in Cape Town on Thursday, October 3rd. The arrest followed an investigation into a complaint filed by a South African woman who was defrauded of a substantial sum of money.
According to Gauteng Hawks spokesperson, Warrant Officer Thatohatsi Mavimbela, "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).
"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 woman, whose identity remains undisclosed to protect her privacy, initially lent money to the man posing as Mark Hermanus for his son's purported medical expenses. However, the requests escalated, eventually totalling over R3 million. The perpetrator promised repayment after settling his son's medical bills, a promise that was never fulfilled.
“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,” Mavimbela confirmed.
“Okori made his first appearance before the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Monday, where the matter was postponed to October 14.”
This case is far from isolated. IOL's ongoing series on romance scams has highlighted the widespread problem, with numerous South African women sharing their harrowing experiences of being defrauded and emotionally traumatised.
Many of these victims are the primary breadwinners in their households, left destitute and emotionally devastated after falling prey to these sophisticated scams. In some tragic instances, the emotional toll has even led to suicide.
A particularly heartbreaking case detailed in a previous IOL report involved a Gauteng mother in her 50s who lost her R2.8 million pension lump sum to a similar scam. This mother, identified only as Nothando to protect her identity, met a man who introduced himself as Henry Mugisha at her workplace. He initially claimed to be searching for accommodation for his son, a claim that now seems to have been a calculated ploy.
Over the course of their year-long relationship, Nothando never met Mugisha's purported son. As their relationship progressed, Mugisha proposed a joint business venture, persuading Nothando to resign from her government job and withdraw her entire pension lump sum for the venture. The scam involved a ritualistic element, with Nothando required to take the money to "the ancestors" for a blessing.
Nothando and Mugisha planned to invest in student accommodation, a booming sector in Gauteng. Mugisha promised to contribute significantly more than Nothando's R2.8 million. However, after the money was withdrawn, Mugisha disappeared, leaving Nothando and her two sons facing destitution.
These cases highlight the devastating consequences of romance scams and the urgent need for increased awareness and preventative measures. The sophisticated tactics employed by these criminals, often involving fabricated online personas and elaborate storylines, make it difficult for victims to recognise the deception until it's too late.
