Overview

• The research, published in Deviant Behaviour and led by LSE criminologist Dr Suleman Lazarus with Nigerian investigator Kaina Habila Garba, draws on interviews with 13 offenders and five Ghanaian police officers.
• Participants described defrauding Western women as reclaiming wealth taken under colonial rule, with some invoking a moral duty and showing little remorse.
• Tactics included posing as white professionals on Facebook, grooming victims for months, spinning medical or travel crises, and using stolen photos, with some reports noting deepfakes and fake cheques.
• Accra is cited as a hub for the Sakawa Boys and other groups, and Ghana ranks 13th on the World Cybercrime Index for online fraud.
• Interpol’s recent operation across 18 African countries counted about 1,200 arrests, roughly $97.4 million recovered, and tens of thousands of victims, while UK figures show more than £88 million lost to romance scams last year.