Gabriel Okori, a 39-year-old Nigerian national, has been remanded in custody in South Africa for his alleged involvement in a romance scam that defrauded a woman of R3 million by impersonating a white man on Facebook.
Okori appeared before the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Monday, October 7, 2024, following his arrest last Thursday in Cape Town. The arrest was conducted by South Africa’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known as the Hawks, in collaboration with the City of Cape Town’s law enforcement and a private security firm.
According to Warrant Officer Thatohatsi Mavimbela, the spokesperson for the Hawks, the victim met Okori online through Facebook, where he had taken on the identity of a white man named “Mark Hermanus.” They began communicating via WhatsApp, where “Hermanus” claimed his son was seriously ill, convincing the victim to send money for medical expenses.
Investigations revealed that Okori had orchestrated the scam to extract significant sums of money under false pretenses. The victim continued to provide funds to the individual she believed was “Mark Hermanus,” ultimately exceeding R3 million. The man promised to repay her once he resolved his son’s medical bills, but he never did.
Mavimbela stated, “The case was reported to the Hawks’ serious commercial crime investigation unit, leading to the arrest of the suspect, identified as Gabriel Okori, a Nigerian national, in Cape Town on Thursday, October 3.”
Okori made his initial court appearance at the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Monday, where the case was postponed until October 14.
