Authorities in Ghana and Nigeria arrested 28 people during an international operation targeting West African scam networks, including cryptocurrency investment fraud, impersonation schemes and fake law-enforcement “arrests.” The operation, hosted in London by the U. National Crime Agency during the week beginning Oct. 6, brought together law-enforcement agencies from multiple countries with technology companies, cryptocurrency exchanges and blockchain-analysis firms.
Private-sector participants, including Binance and Coinbase, identified more than $11 million in funds that could potentially be frozen. That figure represents flagged funds, not confirmed recoveries. Officials also reported cryptocurrency seizures but did not disclose the assets or their value. Coinbase said its intelligence team helped trace illicit funds, support freezes and provide information to investigators; it also said it identified more than 65 active scam victims and helped prevent more than $415,000 in potential losses.
In Ghana, authorities arrested 19 people in Sasaabi, an Accra suburb, and seized 303 electronic devices.
The operation also produced leads on more than 30 suspected scam centers. Meta removed more than 3. 7 million Facebook and Instagram accounts, pages and groups, most appearing to target people in the United States and United Kingdom. The companies and agencies exchanged intelligence in real time, linking online accounts, infrastructure and financial activity to support arrests, seizures and disruption efforts.
The sweep was described as the first coordinated operation focused specifically on West Africa. The participating agencies said the targeted networks operated across borders and used organized compounds, social engineering and multiple digital platforms to target victims worldwide.