A trio of suspects consisting of Ghanaian twin brothers and a U.S. woman have entered guilty pleas for their roles in a sprawling cross-border criminal enterprise that exploited online dating platforms and social media to defraud elderly victims across North America and Europe. The 22-year-old identical siblings, Jamal and Kamal Abubakari, alongside 53-year-old Hawaii resident Amanda Joy Opoku-Boachie, operated as part of a coordinated ring that fabricated false romantic identities to manipulate vulnerable older targets into forming emotional attachments, before coercing them to wire substantial sums of money to bank accounts based in Ghana. The fraudulent scheme ran from July 2024 to April 2026, resulting in combined losses totaling $9 million (£6.7 million) for victims spanning 25 U.S. states, including a large concentration of harmed individuals in Ohio where the formal charges were filed, plus additional victims in Germany and Austria. As part of their plea agreements, the three defendants have consented to the forfeiture of high-value luxury jewellery seized by law enforcement during their arrests, including premium watches, gemstone rings, gold chains, and designer earrings. The three face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years of federal incarceration, with formal sentencing scheduled to take place in 2025. Court documents confirm the suspects operated under a series of aliases: Jamal Abubakari also went by Jamal Abubakar and the handle “Arrangement”, his brother Kamal used the names Kamal Abubakar and “Lancaster”, while Opoku-Boachie was known under Amanda Joy Glum and Amanda Joy Kessei Bierman. This prosecution is the latest in a rapidly escalating U.S. federal law enforcement campaign targeting transnational fraud rings operating across the U.S. and West Africa that specifically target elderly American populations. Earlier this month, FBI Director Kash Patel announced that federal agents had carried out hundreds of arrests following the successful dismantling of a major scam hub located in Ghana. Back in June, prominent Ghanaian social media influencer Frederick Kumi, widely known online as Abu Trica, was extradited to the United States to stand trial on allegations that he ran a separate romance scam that siphoned over $8 million (£5.9 million) from elderly U.S. victims. Prosecutors allege Kumi used dating apps and social media profiles to build false relationships, then solicited money and high-value goods by fabricating emergency scenarios such as urgent, life-saving medical care needs. Kumi’s case is being pursued under the U.S. Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act, and he has entered a formal not guilty plea to all pending charges against him.