West Africa scam operation leads to 28 arrests and removes 3.7 million accounts

An international operation against online scam networks in West Africa led to 28 arrests and the removal of more than 3.7 million Facebook and Instagram accounts, Pages and Groups. The results of the Joint Disruption Week were announced on October 13, 2026, by the US Department of Justice, the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency and Meta.

The effort brought authorities from ten countries together with representatives of 15 companies in London from October 6 to 9, while also incorporating enforcement actions carried out earlier in Ghana. Organizers described it as the first coordinated disruption of this kind focused specifically on scam centers in West Africa.

The 3.7 million figure refers to accounts, Pages and Groups that Meta says it removed from its platforms. It does not represent 3.7 million identified criminals, victims or convictions. One individual or organization can control many profiles, and the announcement did not specify how many unique operators were behind the full set.

Arrests, rescues and seized devices

In Ghana, authorities arrested 19 people in Sasaabi, near Accra, and seized 303 electronic devices. Another nine arrests and 53 device seizures took place in Nigeria. Those detained are suspects linked to the investigated operations and still face legal proceedings; arrests do not amount to convictions.

Authorities also said they rescued 117 Nigerians who had been held against their will in a residential compound in Ghana and forced to participate in scams. According to the Justice Department, they were awaiting repatriation to Nigeria. The Ghana operation also identified 89 fraud victims with estimated losses of $8.3 million.

Participating companies identified at least $11 million in potentially freezable assets. The wording matters: the funds were identified for possible freezing but had not all been seized when the results were announced. Coinbase also said it identified more than 65 active scam victims and prevented approximately $415,000 in potential losses.

Platforms and police exchanged intelligence in real time

The meeting was hosted by the NCA and involved authorities from the United States, United Kingdom, Ghana, Nigeria, Australia, Canada, India and New Zealand, as well as Interpol. Meta, Google, Microsoft, Coinbase, Adobe, Binance, Chainalysis, Starlink and other companies shared signals involving profiles, infrastructure, transactions and physical locations.

More than 30 leads involving suspected scam centers were passed to law enforcement. The schemes under investigation included fraudulent cryptocurrency investments, fake jobs, romance scams, recovery scams and profiles impersonating police officers, military personnel or government representatives. Meta said most of the removed accounts appeared to target people in the United States and United Kingdom.

The case fits into a broader social-engineering problem. A recent Microsoft report on QR-code phishing showed how different channels can lead victims to criminally controlled pages or conversations, although that research was not part of the West Africa operation.

Removing accounts does not end the network

The digital enforcement was extensive, but the more consequential aspect is the combination of measures. Removing profiles reduces the immediate reach of campaigns; seizing devices, tracing funds, identifying operators and freeing people from coercion target different parts of the same chain.

That conclusion is an editorial inference from the reported results, not a guarantee of lasting impact. The number of removed accounts measures platform enforcement, not the total capacity of the criminal networks. The decentralized structure attributed to West African groups also means that new profiles and infrastructure may emerge. Long-term impact will depend on investigations, prosecutions, asset recovery and the protection provided to rescued victims.