• The DOJ says six Africa-based suspects are charged over fake NFT investment sites pushed to Americans by scammers posing as women on dating websites.
  • The FBI identified about 74 crypto wallets tied to about 800 victims nationwide, according to the DOJ.
  • Chui Kok Wa is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud; affidavits allege scam compounds in Madagascar from early 2025.
  • The release names no dating platform. The Romance Scam Prevention Act takes effect in October 2027.

US Attorney Jeanine Pirro's office in the District of Columbia said on 27 October that its Scam Center Strike Force has charged six Africa-based suspects who allegedly posed as women on dating websites, persuaded Americans to connect crypto wallets to fraudulent NFT investment sites, and then pulled the money out. The charges are allegations, and Pirro has called on Madagascar to extradite the defendants.

The release names no dating platform, and DII has not found a comment from any dating company. The dating angle is still direct: the lure was romance, and operators are about to carry new legal duties for exactly this fraud.

The DII Take

Prosecutors are working at the wallet end of the chain, while the new law pushes obligations to the front door, where dating companies sit. The compounds allegedly ran on scripts and shift rosters, so the first contact on a dating service is the part of the operation operators can most plausibly see. Expect regulators to ask how quickly it gets banned.

What the DOJ alleges

Affidavits unsealed on 27 October allege that a group with links to Malaysia and China set up scam compounds in Madagascar in early 2025, probably relocating from Cambodia after a law enforcement crackdown there. According to the DOJ, the FBI linked about 74 crypto wallets to roughly 800 victims across the country. An earlier warrant, also now unsealed, seized the websites used in the scheme.

Wa, charged as leader, allegedly held on his phones contracts with overnight Madagascar schedules matching US daytime hours, bonuses tied to stolen money, and scripts for scammers. The DOJ says 15 employees claimed he trafficked and abused them. It also says Madagascar repatriated numerous suspects to China before the investigation was complete. The release names only Wa, so DII cannot confirm the other five defendants or their counts.

What operators should watch

American Banker reports that President Trump signed the Romance Scam Prevention Act on 20 October. Dating services must notify members who messaged an account later banned for fraud, generally within 24 hours, according to ICIJ. The FTC and state attorneys general enforce it from October 2027. Match Group (MTCH) said it supports the law, American Banker reported.

The DOJ release credits Meta (META) with deplatforming 17.3 million scam accounts in the last year. FTC data shows that nearly 60% of people who reported losing money to a romance scam in 2025 said it began on social media. Pirro said: 'My Strike Force will expand and grow, and follow the scammers to Africa, India, Europe, and wherever they try to plant their operations.' DII has covered the Strike Force's recoveries before.

An earlier warrant, also now unsealed, seized the websites used in the scheme.
  • Operators should treat first-contact detection and fast fraud bans as compliance work now, ahead of the 24-hour notice duty that applies from October 2027.
  • Watch whether Madagascar extradites the six defendants and whether later filings name dating platforms.

Sources: Scam Center Strike Force Expands Reach to Target Global Crime Syndicates; Charges Scammers Based in Africa and Tied to China (U.S. Department of Justice, USAO-DC); Reported losses to scams on social media eight times higher than in 2020 (Federal Trade Commission); President Signs Congressman Valadao's Romance Scam Prevention Act into Law (Office of Rep. David Valadao); 6 accused scammers in Africa charged after dating scheme drained Americans' crypto wallets (7News via Fox Baltimore); New US law requires dating apps to include warnings on romance scams (ICIJ); New law requires dating apps to help block romance scams (American Banker)