By Juliet Umeh
Nigeria and Ghana have come under the spotlight after an international operation against online fraud networks in West Africa led Meta to remove more than 3.7 million accounts, Pages and Groups from Facebook and Instagram.
The operation involved law enforcement agencies from 10 countries and 15 technology companies. It resulted in 28 arrests, the identification of more than 30 suspected scam centres and the rescue of 117 human trafficking victims in Ghana.
Hosted by the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency, NCA, in partnership with the United States Department of Justice, DOJ, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, the exercise targeted criminal networks operating across West Africa.
Meta described it as the first coordinated effort to broadly target scam networks in the region. Most of the removed accounts reportedly targeted victims in the United States and the United Kingdom, using profiles that impersonated American and British users.
The networks also reached victims in Germany, Brazil, Japan, India, South Africa, Turkey and Nigeria. Technology partners included Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, Coinbase, Adobe and Starlink.
According to the DOJ, Nigerian authorities arrested nine people and seized 53 electronic devices during the operation.
In Ghana, authorities arrested 19 people in Sasaabi, near Accra, and seized 303 electronic devices. They also identified 117 people allegedly held against their will and forced to work in scam operations. The DOJ said the victims were awaiting repatriation to Nigeria.
Authorities also identified 89 people allegedly defrauded, with estimated losses of about $8.3 million.
The reported cases highlight the human cost of online fraud, including the alleged coercion of trafficking victims into criminal activity.
The operation targeted several schemes, including cryptocurrency investment scams, fraudulent job offers, romance scams, online sales fraud and the impersonation of law enforcement officers and military personnel.
Investigators also focused on recovery scams, in which fraudsters demand upfront payments from previous victims while promising to recover money they have lost.
Microsoft suspended accounts suspected of involvement in the activities, while cybersecurity firm Silent Push mapped more than 35,000 malicious domains and nearly 700 communication channels linked to suspected scam centres.
Coinbase said it identified more than 65 active scam victims and prevented potential losses exceeding $415,000. The DOJ said private-sector partners had identified more than $11 million in funds that could potentially be frozen.
Meta’s Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Chris Sonderby, said the operation showed why countries and technology companies needed to work together.
“Scams are a global threat that demand a global response,” he said.
Sonderby said leads on more than 30 suspected scam centres had contributed to arrests, victim rescues and cryptocurrency seizures.
The NCA’s Deputy Director of Fraud, Nick Sharp, said international partnerships were essential because fraudsters could operate in one country while targeting victims in another.
Sharp pledged continued cooperation with law enforcement and private-sector partners to disrupt criminal networks and the infrastructure supporting their activities.
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