The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has reported the arrest or detention of more than 130 people in Ghana as part of its ongoing crackdown on international scam centres.
According to FBI Director Kash Patel, the operation has so far identified nearly $10 million in losses and 89 victims linked to the Ghana investigation.
In a post on X, Mr Patel said more than 300 electronic devices had also been seized during the operation.
“Another takedown this week out of Ghana,” he wrote, listing the nearly $10 million in identified losses, 89 victims, 130-plus individuals arrested or detained and more than 300 devices seized.
Mr Patel said the individuals detained include people believed to be victims of trafficking who are expected to be repatriated to their home countries.
He added that the investigation remains ongoing.
“These scam compounds target American citizens and destroy lives,” Mr Patel said, adding that the FBI was targeting such operations “in every corner of the world.”
According to Mr Patel, the operation has so far resulted in roughly $17 billion in assets seized, hundreds of alleged scammers arrested and thousands of trafficked workers freed.
He also said more than 10,000 Americans had been warned before losing their money, with an estimated $670 million in losses prevented.
The Ghana operation forms part of the FBI’s wider Operation Blackout, an international crackdown targeting scam networks and the operations behind schemes that defraud victims around the world.
