• Jamal and Kamal Abubakari, both 22, pleaded guilty on 13 October; Amanda Joy Opoku-Boachie, 53, of Kula, Hawaii, pleaded guilty on 20 October.
  • Prosecutors say victims, mostly older Americans, lost more than $9M between about July 2024 and April 2026.
  • Each defendant faces up to 20 years; sentencing is set for 9 and 10 February 2027.
  • The FBI's IC3 logged $929,287,469 in confidence/romance losses in 2025.

Two Ghanaian twin brothers and a Hawaii woman have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a romance scam network that took more than $9M from victims, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio announced on 26 October. Jamal Abubakari and Kamal Abubakari, both 22, pleaded guilty on 13 October. Amanda Joy Opoku-Boachie, 53, of Kula, Hawaii, pleaded guilty on 20 October.

According to allegations in court documents, the defendants targeted older Americans on dating websites and social media platforms from about July 2024 to April 2026, using fake personas to build close, often romantic relationships. The release does not name any dating site or social platform, so no dating company is implicated.

The DII Take

Guilty pleas are admissions, and this case documents the whole chain: platform contact, fake persona, invented story, wire transfer, money moving to Ghana. The platforms are the first link in that chain, and the release is silent on which ones were used. Operators should read it as a reminder that first contact and profile creation are where these schemes are cheapest to interrupt. DII has also covered Durham police adding charges in an alleged $1M romance fraud.

Losses keep climbing

According to the release, victims were misled by false stories and sent money by wire transfer to accounts controlled by conspiracy members, with portions going to co-conspirators in Ghana and elsewhere. Collectively the victims lost more than $9 million. Victims lived in Edgerton, Ohio, in 24 other states, and in Germany and Austria.

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center reported $929,287,469 in confidence/romance fraud losses across 23,159 complaints in 2025, against $672,009,052 across 17,910 complaints in 2024. For people aged 60 and over, those losses were $584,032,745, up from $389,312,356. The IC3 report also says scammers are using AI chat generators to write fake profiles and scripts.

What to watch

A federal judge will set sentences after weighing the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors, with the Abubakari brothers due on 9 February 2027 and Opoku-Boachie on 10 February. Each faces a maximum of 20 years. Under the plea agreements, the three agreed to forfeit seized jewellery, including luxury watches. The FBI Cleveland Division led the investigation with significant help from the DOJ Office of International Affairs, and the U.S. Attorney thanked partners including Ghanaian authorities.

Collectively the victims lost more than $9 million.
  • Prosecutors describe a cross-border network that began on dating and social platforms and ended in wire transfers, which keeps pressure on operators' early-stage fraud detection.
  • FBI IC3 data shows romance losses rising for the second year running, so enforcement wins like this one are unlikely to ease regulatory scrutiny of the sector.

Sources: Three Plead Guilty to Roles in $9M Romance Fraud Scams Targeting Older Americans (U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Ohio); FBI IC3 2025 Internet Crime Report (FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center)