An international crackdown on online fraud networks operating in West Africa has led to 28 arrests in Nigeria and Ghana, the identification of 117 human trafficking victims in Ghana and the removal of more than 3.7 million fraudulent social media accounts.
The United States Department of Justice announced the results on Tuesday, saying the week-long operation involved law enforcement agencies and technology companies working together to disrupt scam centres and their online infrastructure.
In Nigeria, authorities arrested nine people and seized 53 electronic devices during the enforcement operation. In Ghana, 19 suspects were arrested in Sasaabi, a suburb of Accra, while 303 electronic devices were recovered.
The Ghana operation also uncovered 117 people identified as trafficking victims who are awaiting repatriation to Nigeria. Authorities identified another 89 people who had allegedly fallen victim to scams, with estimated losses of $8.3m.
The operation was coordinated across several countries, wiy ath support from the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency, the FBI, the Nigeria Police Force’s National Cybercrime Centre, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and Ghanaian security agencies.
The US Justice Department said investigators exchanged intelligence in real time during the week beginning October 6, enabling them to identify and disrupt suspected scam centres in Nigeria, Ghana and other African countries.
Technology companies also took action against online infrastructure allegedly used to defraud victims. According to information supplied by participating firms, more than 3.7 million accounts, pages and groups were removed, while leads on more than 30 suspected scam centres were shared with law enforcement.
The companies also identified more than $11m in funds that could potentially be frozen, although the figure does not represent money confirmed as recovered.
Assistant US Attorney General A. Tysen Duva said the operation demonstrated the impact of cooperation between law enforcement and private industry.
“The millions of bogus social media accounts taken down and dozens of arrests that took place as part of Joint Disruption Week are just the beginning,” he said, thanking officers in Nigeria and Ghana for their role in the operation.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the joint effort had resulted in arrests, device seizures and the identification of funds potentially linked to criminal activity.
The operation targeted several forms of online fraud, including scams involving impersonation of law enforcement officials, extortion through fake digital arrest schemes and cryptocurrency investment fraud, commonly known as ‘pig butchering’.
The US Justice Department said the networks often operated as organised enterprises, with some recruiting and training people to carry out online fraud against victims in the United States, the United Kingdom and elsewhere.
The crackdown comes amid growing concern about losses linked to online investment fraud. According to figures cited by the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Centre, reported losses from investment scams involving cryptocurrency exceeded $7.2bn in 2025.
Nick Sharp, the UK National Crime Agency’s deputy director of fraud, said international cooperation was essential because offenders could target victims across borders.
“Fraud is a global problem and it takes partnership working across international boundaries to tackle it,” he said.
The agencies said they would continue working with technology companies and international partners to disrupt criminal networks, pursue those responsible and protect victims.
Discussion0