A Nigerian man named Ikechukwu N. has been arrested in Argentina by INTERPOL for running several online romance scams that tricked thousands of people around the world.
According to INTERPOL’s statement on Tuesday, the arrest happened during Operation Jackal — a major global operation targeting West African criminal groups involved in cyber fraud, money laundering, and other international crimes.
INTERPOL said on its official X (Twitter) account that this was Argentina’s first arrest of a suspect wanted under both a Red Notice (for fugitives) and a Silver Notice (for tracing stolen assets).
The statement read:
“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. The suspect is accused of running multiple romance scams that affected thousands of women and leading an international cybercrime network.”
The arrest was made by the Argentine Federal Police and Airport Security Police, with help from INTERPOL’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, Federal Intelligence Secretariat (FIS), and INTERPOL Brazil.
The Silver Notice project, started in January 2025, helps countries share information to find and recover money and assets gained from crime.
Although the number of victims and total amount of money lost have not been revealed, INTERPOL said the case is part of a larger global crackdown on West African cybercrime syndicates.
Nigeria has also been a focus of such investigations. In December 2024, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested 792 suspects, including foreigners, linked to a crypto-romance scam based in Lagos.
The group reportedly used social media and messaging apps to deceive victims with fake love and investment promises.
INTERPOL said investigations into Ikechukwu’s crimes are still ongoing, with cooperation expected between Argentina, Nigeria, and other international partners in Operation Jackal.