The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has announced the dismantling of a suspected scam operation in Ghana, with nearly US$10 million in identified losses and 89 victims linked to the latest crackdown.
According to FBI Director Kash Patel, more than 130 individuals were arrested or detained during the operation, while investigators seized more than 300 electronic devices believed to be connected to the alleged fraud activities.
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The operation was carried out under the FBI’s global Operation Blackout, an initiative targeting transnational scam networks accused of defrauding victims, particularly American citizens.
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Patel said the Ghana operation had so far identified nearly US$10 million in losses, 89 victims and more than 130 people arrested or detained. More than 300 devices were also seized as investigators continued to examine the suspected scam network.
However, the FBI figures require careful interpretation. Patel indicated that some of those detained were themselves victims who are expected to be repatriated to their home countries. The identities of those arrested, the precise locations of the operations and the specific Ghanaian institutions involved have not been publicly disclosed.
It is also not yet clear which of those detained may face prosecution in Ghana or whether any individuals could eventually face extradition proceedings in the United States.
The FBI says its Operation Blackout campaign has expanded internationally as criminal networks move their activities across borders. Patel has previously described scam compounds as facilities where trafficked or coerced workers may be forced to conduct fraudulent activities against victims abroad.
The Ghana operation comes amid increasing cooperation between Ghanaian and US authorities on cybercrime and transnational financial crime. In July 2026, Ghanaian national Frederick Kumi, popularly known as Abu Trica, was extradited to the United States to face charges connected to an alleged romance-fraud network targeting elderly American victims.
US authorities have acknowledged the cooperation of Ghana’s Attorney-General’s Office, the Economic and Organised Crime Office, Ghana Police Service, Cyber Security Authority, National Intelligence Bureau and the FBI Legal Attaché Office in Accra in that earlier case.
The latest operation underscores the increasingly international nature of online fraud, with Ghana now featuring prominently in US-led efforts to disrupt networks targeting victims across borders. For investigators, the seizure of hundreds of devices could provide important digital evidence as the case develops.
The FBI investigation remains ongoing, and further arrests, charges or details about the alleged operation could emerge as authorities analyse the seized devices and trace the financial networks involved.
