By SNN Newsroom | October 14, 2026
International law-enforcement agencies and technology companies reported disrupting online scam networks operating in West Africa during an enforcement campaign that began October 6. The U.S. Justice Department announced the preliminary results October 13.
Authorities said 28 people were arrested in operations in Ghana and Nigeria. Private-sector partners reported removing more than 3.7 million accounts, pages and groups suspected of facilitating online fraud, while sharing leads concerning more than 30 suspected scam centers.
In Ghana, investigators identified 117 people believed to be human-trafficking victims at a suspected scam operation, according to the Justice Department. Authorities said arrangements to return them to Nigeria were pending. The report also described suspected impersonation scams and fraudulent cryptocurrency-investment pitches targeting people in the United States and other countries.
Investigators and industry participants identified more than $11 million in potentially freezable funds. That figure does not mean $11 million has been recovered or returned to victims.
Arrests and government allegations are not criminal convictions. The operational figures are preliminary accounts provided by authorities and industry partners, and proceedings involving individual suspects remain subject to the courts.
Primary source: U.S. Department of Justice, October 13, 2026.
