The operation, known as “Operation Blackout,” also identified more than $11 million in potentially freezable funds and more than 120 people allegedly trafficked and exploited to conduct online fraud.
The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), working with law enforcement agencies in Ghana, Nigeria and other countries, has announced the arrest of 28 suspected criminal actors and seized more than 350 electronic devices in a fresh crackdown on international scam networks allegedly targeting Americans.
The operation, known as “Operation Blackout,” also identified more than $11 million in potentially freezable funds and more than 120 people allegedly trafficked and exploited to conduct online fraud.
The FBI said more than 3.7 million scam-linked accounts, pages and groups were also removed from Facebook and Instagram in partnership with Meta as part of the latest phase of the crackdown.
FBI Director Kash Patel disclosed the latest figures while highlighting what the bureau described as an intensifying global campaign against scam compounds that target American citizens, particularly vulnerable and elderly victims.
The FBI said the latest raids were conducted as part of a broader “Joint Disruption Week” involving international law enforcement partners.
The development followed a major operation in Ghana earlier in October, where authorities raided suspected scam centres and arrested or detained more than 130 people while seizing over 300 electronic devices.
According to reports, the Ghana operation identified 89 suspected fraud victims and nearly $10 million in losses.
Some of those detained were alleged victims of human trafficking who were allegedly forced to participate in online fraud schemes and are expected to be repatriated.
The Ghanaian Cyber Security Authority, however, subsequently disputed descriptions suggesting that the FBI independently led the operation.
The authority said the exercise, also known as Operation Cyber Hunt, was planned, coordinated and executed by Ghanaian authorities, with support from Ghana’s National Security Council, the Ghana Police Service’s Criminal Investigations Department, the UK National Crime Agency, the FBI, Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Joint Case Team on Cybercrime, Ghana Immigration Service and the Office of the Attorney-General.
Ghanaian authorities said the operation followed intelligence received on August 26 about suspected organised cybercrime activities, including romance scams, being conducted from apartments in parts of the Greater Accra Region.
The operation reportedly resulted in the arrest of eight suspects and the rescue of 120 people suspected to have been trafficked and exploited for online fraud.
Authorities seized 136 mobile phones, 130 laptops, internet devices and four vehicles, alongside other items including 10 Nigerian passports.
The FBI's latest announcement indicates that the Ghana and Nigeria actions form part of a much wider campaign.
The bureau has said Operation Blackout has so far resulted in roughly $17 billion being seized globally, hundreds of alleged scammers being arrested and thousands of trafficked workers being freed.
The operation has also reportedly enabled authorities to warn more than 10,000 Americans before they lost money, preventing an estimated $670 million in potential losses.
In the latest phase, the FBI said 19 suspects were arrested and detained in Ghana while nine people were arrested in Nigeria and are expected to face prosecution under Nigerian law.
It also said more than 120 trafficked workers had been identified for repatriation.
The FBI has described Operation Blackout as a global campaign designed to identify, disrupt and dismantle large-scale international scam compounds and the criminal networks behind them.
The agency's broader anti-fraud strategy comes as international criminal groups increasingly move scam operations across borders and use social media, cryptocurrency and other digital tools to defraud victims.
The FBI has also warned that scam networks are increasingly using artificial intelligence to make fraudulent messages, communications and impersonation schemes more convincing.
The FBI said the latest operation therefore represents an attempt by US and international authorities to target not only individual fraudsters but also the physical compounds, digital infrastructure, financial assets and human-trafficking networks supporting large-scale online scams.
“To the criminals stealing Americans’ hard-earned money: Your borders won’t protect you. Your compounds won’t hide you,” the FBI said in its latest warning.
The agency added that its international partnerships would continue to target scam networks regardless of where they operate.
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