Twenty-eight people suspected of cybercrime have been arrested in Ghana and Nigeria as part of an international operation supported by the United States.
The operation resulted in the freezing of $11 million in suspected criminal assets and disrupted several online fraud networks, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Wednesday.
Conducted in coordination with the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA), local law enforcement agencies, and several technology companies, the operation targeted networks accused of defrauding internet users of millions of dollars through investment fraud, romance scams, and identity theft.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro warned of the growing sophistication of these networks and their alleged links to human trafficking. “These criminal operations are becoming increasingly sophisticated, organized, and linked to human trafficking,” she told reporters.
In Ghana, 19 suspects were arrested in a suburb of Accra, where investigators seized 303 electronic devices. According to the DOJ, the suspected network allegedly targeted 89 victims, causing estimated losses of $8.3 million.
Authorities also identified 117 suspected victims of human trafficking who are awaiting repatriation to Nigeria. In Nigeria, nine additional suspects were arrested.
The operation disrupted several fraud schemes, including cryptocurrency investment scams, impersonation of law enforcement officers, and extortion methods known as “digital arrest.”
Efforts also targeted the platforms used to recruit victims and organize scams. Meta announced the removal of more than 3.7 million accounts, pages, and groups on Facebook and Instagram associated with fraudulent activities. Adobe, Binance, Coinbase, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI also contributed to this international operation.
According to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the suspects notably used fake job offers, impersonation of military personnel, and romance scams frequently targeting elderly people.
The U.S. Department of Justice also noted similarities between the scam centers discovered in West Africa and those previously dismantled in Southeast Asia. These structures operate like organized businesses, recruiting and training people in psychological manipulation techniques before launching coordinated fraud campaigns across multiple digital platforms.
