The Ghana–Ohio Romance Ring
A transnational dating-app scam, dismantled by the DOJ
Case facts
- Region
- Ghana / United States (Ohio)
- Estimated loss
- Tens of millions across hundreds of US victims
- Victims
- Primarily older Americans on dating apps
- Filed
- Jun 6, 2026
Last reviewed .
A federal indictment named more than a dozen Ghanaian and Ohio-based co-conspirators in a long-running romance-fraud operation that targeted lonely Americans on dating apps. Multiple defendants have been sentenced; others await extradition.
The scheme
Operatives in Accra, Ghana matched US victims on dating apps using stolen photos, then love-bombed for weeks before pivoting to financial "emergencies": medical bills, customs fees on a fake inheritance, or "investment opportunities" routed through US-based money mules. Funds were wired to Ohio-based co-conspirators who pulled cash, bought money orders, or converted to crypto for transfer back to Ghana.
Named defendants
Charged / awaiting extradition (Ghana): - Jamal Abubakari — alias "Arrangement" - Kamal Abubakari — alias "Lancaster" - Frederick Kumi — aliases "Emmanuel Kojo Baah Obeng", "Abu Trica" (Swedru) - Daniel Yussif — aliases "Denteni", "Slab" - Kelvin Asmah
Convicted in the US (Ohio money-mule network): - Amanda Joy Opoku-Boachie (aliases Amanda Joy Glum, Amanda Joy K. Bierman) — Columbus / Akron - Dwayne Asafo Adjei — 71 months - Nancy Adom — 71 months - Eric Aidoo — 71 months - Otuo Amponsah — 108 months - Anna Amponsah — 108 months - Portia Joe — 51 months - Nader Wasif (Brentwood, TN) — 12 months
Why it matters
Romance fraud remains the highest-loss category on FBI IC3's annual report. The Ohio cell shows the model in full: foreign social-engineering operators paired with domestic mules who provide US bank accounts and a friendly American name on the receiving wire. Disrupting the mule layer is what turns an unprosecutable foreign scam into a federal indictment.
Red flags from this case
- Dating-app match who refuses live video within the first week
- Story pivots to medical, customs, or "investment" money within 4–6 weeks
- Money is requested to a *third party's* US bank account, never the match's own
- Asked to convert deposits to gift cards, money orders, or crypto
Primary evidence
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