FBI Announces 28 Arrests in Nigeria, Ghana, takes Down 3.7m Accounts Over Scams Targeting Americans

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), working with law enforcement agencies in Ghana, Nigeria and other countries, has announced the arrest of 28 suspected criminal actors and seizure of over 350 electronic devices in a crackdown on international scam networks targeting Americans.

The operation, known as “Operation Blackout,” also identified more than $11 million in potentially freezable funds and more than 120 people allegedly trafficked and exploited to conduct online fraud.

The FBI said more than 3.7 million scam-linked accounts, pages and groups were removed from Facebook and Instagram in partnership with Meta.

FBI Director Kash Patel disclosed the figures while highlighting what the bureau described as an intensifying global campaign against scam compounds that target American citizens, particularly vulnerable and elderly victims.

The raids were conducted as part of a broader “Joint Disruption Week” involving international partners.

The development followed a major operation in Ghana earlier in October, where authorities raided suspected scam centres and arrested or detained more than 130 people while seizing over 300 electronic devices.

According to reports, the Ghana operation identified 89 suspected fraud victims and nearly $10 million in losses. Some of those detained were alleged victims of human trafficking forced to participate in online fraud and are expected to be repatriated.

The Ghana Cyber Security Authority, however, disputed suggestions that the FBI independently led the operation.

The authority said the exercise, also known as Operation Cyber Hunt, was planned, coordinated and executed by Ghanaian authorities, with support from Ghana’s National Security Council, the Ghana Police Service’s Criminal Investigations Department, the UK National Crime Agency, the FBI, Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Joint Case Team on Cybercrime, Ghana Immigration Service and the Office of the Attorney-General.

Ghanaian authorities said the operation followed intelligence received on August 26 about suspected organised cybercrime activities, including romance scams, being conducted from apartments in parts of Greater Accra Region.

It reportedly resulted in the arrest of eight suspects and rescue of 120 people suspected to have been trafficked and exploited for online fraud.

Authorities seized 136 mobile phones, 130 laptops, internet devices and four vehicles, alongside 10 Nigerian passports.

The FBI said Operation Blackout has so far resulted in roughly $17 billion seized globally, hundreds of alleged scammers arrested and thousands of trafficked workers freed.

The operation has also enabled authorities to warn more than 10,000 Americans before they lost money, preventing an estimated $670 million in potential losses.

In the latest phase, the FBI said 19 suspects were arrested and detained in Ghana while nine were arrested in Nigeria and are expected to face prosecution under Nigerian law.

The FBI described Operation Blackout as a global campaign designed to identify, disrupt and dismantle large-scale international scam compounds and criminal networks behind them.

It warned that scam networks increasingly use artificial intelligence to make fraudulent messages and impersonation schemes more convincing.

“To the criminals stealing Americans’ hard-earned money: Your borders won’t protect you. Your compounds won’t hide you,” the FBI warned.