28 arrested in West Africa scam sweep as crypto firms flag $11 million

  • Ghanaian and Nigerian authorities arrested 28 suspects during an international online-fraud crackdown.
  • Private companies identified more than $11 million potentially available for freezing.
  • Meta removed over 3.7 million accounts, pages and groups linked to suspicious activity.

Authorities in Ghana and Nigeria arrested 28 people during an international crackdown on online fraud networks targeting victims in the United States, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. The coordinated effort, hosted by the UK National Crime Agency in London from October 6 to 9, involved law-enforcement agencies, Binance, Coinbase, blockchain analytics firms Chainalysis, Elliptic and TRM Labs, Meta and Microsoft. Private-sector participants identified more than $11 million in funds potentially available for freezing, but that reported figure does not establish that the money was frozen, seized or returned to victims. Ghanaian authorities arrested 19 people near Accra and seized 303 electronic devices, while Nigerian police arrested nine suspects and seized laptops, phones and routers. Investigators also identified 117 people trafficked to Ghana and allegedly forced to work at scam compounds, along with 89 suspected fraud victims reporting about $8.3 million in losses. Coinbase said it helped identify more than 65 people being targeted and prevented more than $415,000 in potential losses. The investigation covered fake cryptocurrency investment offers, impersonation schemes, romance and employment scams, fabricated arrests and fraudulent asset-recovery services. Meta said it removed more than 3.7 million suspicious accounts, pages and groups linked to West Africa, while investigators received information on more than 30 suspected scam centers. Identifying funds as potentially freezeable is distinct from executing a freeze: follow-on legal or compliance instructions determine whether assets are locked, forfeited or returned. The operation's reported findings therefore identify a potential enforcement target, not a confirmed recovery for victims.

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