Ghanaian twin brothers and US woman plead guilty to $9m romance scam

What the report says

Twin brothers from Ghana and an American woman have pleaded guilty in a U.S. case tied to an international romance scam that prosecutors say targeted older adults in the United States and Europe. BBC Africa reported that Jamal and Kamal Abubakari, both 22, and 53-year-old Amanda Joy Opoku-Boachie of Hawaii admitted involvement in a network that used fake online identities on dating sites and social media to build supposed romantic relationships, then convinced victims to send money to bank accounts in Ghana.

The case was brought in Ohio, where many of the victims were located, but the alleged victims also lived in 24 other U.S. states, as well as Germany and Austria. According to the report, the fraud ran from July 2024 to April 2026 and the combined losses reached $9 million. The defendants face sentences of up to 20 years in prison and are due to be sentenced next year.

As part of the plea agreement, the three agreed to give up jewellery seized at the time of their arrests, including watches, rings, chains and earrings. The case fits into a wider U.S. crackdown on alleged online fraud networks operating between West Africa and the United States, especially schemes that target elderly people through romance or emergency-money scams.