Three plead guilty in $9m romance scam targeting elderly victims

Victims across 25 US states, Germany and Austria lost about $9 million after people posing as romantic partners persuaded them to send money to Ghanaian bank accounts.

Ghanaian twins Jamal and Kamal Abubakari, both 22, and Amanda Joy Opoku-Boachie, 53, of Hawaii, have pleaded guilty to taking part in the international romance scam network, according to the BBC. The scheme operated between July 2024 and April 2026 and particularly targeted elderly people.

How it worked: The group used fake identities on dating sites and social media, building what victims believed were romantic relationships before asking for large sums of money. Many of the victims lived in Ohio, where the charges were filed, though the scheme reached far beyond the state.

The names: Jamal Abubakari also went by Jamal Abubakar and Arrangement. Kamal Abubakari used Kamal Abubakar and Lancaster. Opoku-Boachie used Amanda Joy Glum and Amanda Joy Kessei Bierman. Multiple identities are useful in a scam built on persuading strangers that the person on the screen is someone else.

What they face: Each defendant could receive up to 20 years in prison and is due to be sentenced in 2027. Under their plea agreements, they also agreed to forfeit jewelry investigators seized during their arrests, including luxury watches, rings, chains and earrings.

The case is part of a broader US push against networks operating in the United States and West Africa that target older Americans online. Earlier this month, FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau had made hundreds of arrests after dismantling a scam center in Ghana. The next date that matters is the defendants' sentencing in 2027.