A Nigerian man identified as Ikechukwu N. has been arrested in Argentina for allegedly running a large international romance scam that targeted thousands of women across different countries.
The arrest, announced on Tuesday by INTERPOL through its official X account, was carried out under Operation Jackal, a global operation aimed at dismantling West African cybercrime networks.
According to INTERPOL, the 35-year-old suspect is accused of leading an organised cybercrime group responsible for multiple romance scams and financial fraud schemes.
“Argentine authorities have captured Nigerian national Ikechukwu N., marking the country’s first arrest of a #RedNotice fugitive who was also the subject of an INTERPOL Silver Notice,” INTERPOL said.
The Silver Notice initiative, launched in January 2025, was created to help countries trace and recover criminal assets linked to organised crime.
INTERPOL stated that the arrest was made through the efforts of Argentina’s Federal Police (PFA) and Airport Security Police (PSA), with support from the INTERPOL Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre (IFCACC), FIS, and INTERPOL Brazil.
The global police agency said, “The suspect is accused of orchestrating multiple romance scams involving thousands of women and leading an international cybercrime network.”
The operation marks Argentina’s first successful capture of a Red Notice fugitive under the Silver Notice project.
The arrest adds to a growing list of Nigerian nationals caught in similar romance scam cases around the world.
Earlier in 2025, Nigerian authorities arrested 27-year-old Rabiu Aliyu Salisu, also known as Rabo, from Kogi State, for identity theft, computer fraud, and money laundering. Salisu was accused of impersonating an American citizen named Matthew Ramsey to defraud several women, stealing over $597,000 from one victim.
Police recovered luxury vehicles and electronic gadgets suspected to be proceeds of the scam.
In a separate case, another Nigerian, Charles Uchenna Nwadavid, was sentenced to two years in prison in the United States after being extradited from the United Kingdom. He was found guilty of running a romance scam and money laundering operation that stole over $2 million from at least six victims.
INTERPOL said operations like Jackal and Silver Notice are part of ongoing efforts to curb cyber-enabled fraud and bring international scammers to justice.
