A Nigerian national and four South African suspects have been arrested in connection with a sophisticated online fraud scheme that defrauded a victim of over R3 million, the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crimes Investigation unit announced.
The latest arrests occurred yesterday when the Hawks’ 419 scam Task Team apprehended two suspects, aged 26 and 22, in Mfuleni and Strand, respectively. The pair are scheduled to appear in the Bellville Magistrates Court today on charges of fraud and money laundering.
The arrests stem from a complaint filed at Lyttelton police station in August 2024, where the victim reported losing R3,415,000 to the fraudulent scheme over a two-month period.
According to investigators, the primary suspect initially contacted the complainant through Facebook before moving their conversations to WhatsApp. The suspect allegedly told the victim that his son was critically ill and provided what appeared to be banking login details, requesting the complainant transfer money to help with medical expenses.
When the complainant was unable to complete the transfers, the suspect requested loans of “a few thousand dollars” to cover his son’s medical bills temporarily, promising reimbursement once the medical situation was resolved. The victim complied with multiple requests until the total amount reached R3,415,000.
The suspect then allegedly distributed the funds among accomplices, with promises of reimbursement that never materialised.
The Task Team has previously arrested three other individuals in connection with the same case. Gabriel Okoli, a Nigerian national, was arrested in October 2024 in Gordon’s Bay. Motsamai was apprehended in March 2025 in Orange Farm, and Mnguni was arrested in June 2025 in Soweto, bringing the total number of arrests to five.
Mnguni appeared in the Pretoria Magistrates Court today after his previous appearance was postponed to allow him access to Legal Aid. All three previously arrested suspects have been released on bail.
The Hawks indicated that additional arrests are expected as the investigation continues.
