Redazione RHC : 14 August 2025 07:55
The U.S. Department of Justice has indicted four Ghanaian nationals for their involvement in a massive international fraud ring that stole over $100 million through romance scams and attacks that compromised corporate communications. According to investigators, the criminal group operated in the United States from 2016 to May 2023, targeting both individuals and companies, and was structured hierarchically.
The defendants held high-ranking positions in the organization, known as the “Sakawa Boys,” or “Game Boys.” All four were extradited from Ghana and brought to the United States on August 7. Two of them were “presidents,” coordinators who managed the fraud and distributed the profits, while Asare and Yeboah held key positions, including direct involvement in the romance scams.
The plan was to target single, elderly men and women. The criminals gained their trust through online correspondence, creating the illusion of a romantic relationship, and then convinced the victims to send money to fictitious individuals in the United States. These intermediaries collected the funds, kept some for themselves, and sent the rest to the organizers of the operation in West Africa.
In parallel, the group conducted attacks on companies through BEC (Business Email Compromise) schemes. Using fake email addresses, visually similar to corporate ones, they impersonated customers or employees of companies to convince accounting or finance managers to transfer money to controlled accounts. These emails often contained fake fund transfer authorizations with forged signatures of authorized employees.
During the investigation, it was determined that the scammers operated in an organized manner and used a network of fictitious bank accounts to conceal the origin of the funds and their final recipients. The money laundering operations were accompanied by the conversion and transfer of large sums through international channels.
Each defendant is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud (up to 20 years in prison for each count), conspiracy to commit money laundering (up to 20 years), conspiracy to receive stolen goods (up to 5 years), and receiving stolen goods (up to 10 years). The trial will be one of the largest in the United States for transnational fraud, targeting vulnerable individuals and large corporations.
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