Nigerians have a reputation for committing massive internet scams from Nigeria, but as they move into Western countries through mass immigration, these scams are also being direclty commited in their new home nations. This time, a high-profile trial at the Dresden Regional Court has concluded with the sentencing of a Nigerian fraud network that specialized in laundering money stolen from lonely women.
The group, consisting of three men and one woman, who all operated as the financial backbone for a notorious “Lovescamming” mafia.
Throughout the proceedings, the defendants—Hamsik E. (24), Sylvester E. (27), Ayomide N. (25), and Precious O. (25)—maintained a defiant display of wealth. Even while arriving from prison, they wore luxury labels such as Louis Vuitton. On paper, three were employed in vague professions, such as “designer,” while one was officially unemployed and collecting social benefits. Precious, the woman, was allegedly a “part-time waitress.”
The Presiding Judge Karl-Dietmar Elser did not seem to be impressed with their luxury clothing or accessories and handed down sentences of nearly four years each for aiding and abetting commercial and gang-related fraud. The judge noted that Precious O., specifically, earned the nickname “Gangster-Doll“ for her “behavior,” which included laughing at her victims in chats and conversations.
“In sentencing, it was taken into account that Precious O. laughed at the victims’ statements. Her nickname ‘Gangster Doll‘ is no coincidence,” said the presiding judge.
Defrauding lonely women
The court highlighted the case of a blind woman from Dresden who was defrauded of €30,000. She believed she was in a relationship with “Dr. Daniel Steven,” a 47-year-old widowed American doctor allegedly stationed in Syria.
Bild newspaper highlights that the scam had many layers of sophistication, and in fact, the woman appears to still have trouble believing it is a scam. During the trial, Bild stated that she was still in contact with the fake doctor and continued to value his “attention and kind words.” During the scam, various problems were presented with the alleged doctor’s efforts to reach Germany, which left the woman paying to help him, which led to her financial losses.
However, it appears that there are more people involved in the scam who were not in the trial, including suspects who may still be in Nigeria.
The four defendants managed accounts across Italy, Lithuania, and Germany, processing a total of €140,000. To evade investigators, they withdrew roughly €600 in cash daily or transferred funds using deceptive labels like “Gift” or “Family Support.”
The court revealed that the defendants were allowed to “keep 10 percent” of the stolen funds as their commission for handling these European accounts.
Nigerian scammers in Germany
This is not the only case of Nigerian scammers operating in Germany, even though Germany’s Nigerian population remains extremely low.
In 2024, German police arrested 11 suspected members of a Nigerian mafia group behind a large-scale marriage and dating scam network, known as the Black Axe gang. They were especially focused on romance scams targeting German women
“Using false identities, the fraudsters, for example, signalled their intention to marry and in the course of further contact repeatedly demanded money under various pretexts,” police said.
The money was sent back to the Black Axe gang in Nigeria “via financial agents,” according to the report.
As noted by The Local, “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 ($5.7 million).” However, that is just one German state, and as has been reported consistently, many victims of such romance scams never go to the police out of embarrassment.
Nigerians known for “409” scams
Nigerians are notorious for their web scamming, to the point that an entire musical genre has sprouted up around it, celebrating successful scams and the culture behind this practice.
A research paper from last year details how scams are a major industry in Nigeria. Known as “419” scams, they have evolved from simple phishing e-mails into organized scam networks using AI-generated technology and advanced social engineering, costing nations around the world billions every year.
The country also happens to be a country with one of the world’s fastest-growing populations. A lack of infrastructure, security, and widespread corruption means the country will likely continue to pose a serious global threat in the future.
