Ghana Scam Operation Detains More Than 130, FBI Says

More than 130 people were arrested or detained in a Ghana operation targeting scam compounds, according to figures released by FBI Director Kash Patel. The FBI said investigators had identified 89 fraud victims, nearly $10 million in losses and seized more than 300 devices. The investigation is ongoing. Patel presented the operation as part of Operation Blackout, the FBI’s global campaign against scam compounds that target Americans. He said the group detained in Ghana includes trafficking victims who are expected to be returned to their home countries. The reports do not specify how many of those detained were suspected offenders and how many were victims. Ghana’s minister responsible for communication, digital technology and innovations, Samuel Nartey George, said Ghanaian law enforcement and intelligence agencies led the operations, with support from the FBI and the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency. George said the Cyber Security Authority, the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service and the National Security Secretariat took part in sting operations from September 25 to 28.