Ghana and US Crack Down on $10m Cyber Scam Network as Credit Dispute Erupts

Ghanaian and United States authorities have dismantled a major cybercrime operation in Ghana accused of defrauding victims of nearly $10 million, but a public dispute has erupted over which country should take credit for the raid.

The operation, which uncovered suspected cybercrime centres in the Greater Accra Region, led to the arrest of eight suspects and the rescue of 120 people suspected of being trafficked and exploited for online fraud activities. The rescued victims were identified largely as Nigerians, with arrangements underway for their repatriation.

Items seized during the operation included 136 mobile phones, 130 laptops, internet connection devices, four motor vehicles, and other digital equipment. One of the vehicles was reported to have been stolen from Canada. Investigators also recovered jewellery and 10 Nigerian passports. Intelligence received on August 26, 2026, indicated that apartments at Ubuntu Haven Estate in Kpone Katamanso, Franko Estate in Ga North, and other locations in Ga West were being used as bases for organised cybercrime, including romance scams.

The figures on those detained differ significantly between the two accounts. FBI Director Kash Patel said more than 130 people had been arrested or detained, including victims who would be repatriated to their home countries. The Ghanaian Cyber Security Authority, however, distinguished between eight suspects arrested and 120 people rescued, many of whom authorities suspect were victims of trafficking and exploitation. The discrepancy reflects differing legal categorisations of the individuals involved.

The dispute over credit began after Patel announced the operation in a post on X on Thursday, October 8, 2026, describing it as part of the FBI’s global Operation Blackout. “These scam compounds target American citizens and destroy lives,” Patel wrote. “This FBI is crushing them in every corner of the world. More to come”.

Ghana’s Cyber Security Authority issued a statement rejecting any suggestion that the operation was independently conceived, commanded or executed by the FBI. The Authority said the operation, also known as Operation Cyber Hunt, was led and coordinated by the CSA with support from Ghana’s National Security Council, the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service, the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency, the FBI, Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and other partners. It stressed that Ghanaian authorities planned, coordinated and executed the operation within Ghana’s legal and institutional frameworks, and that it was not conducted under foreign operational command.

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“Foreign law enforcement agencies have no independent authority to conduct arrests or exercise police powers within Ghana except through lawful cooperation with the relevant Ghanaian institutions,” the CSA said. The Authority acknowledged the intelligence contributions of the FBI and the National Crime Agency but called on the FBI to clarify its public account and acknowledge the contributions of Ghanaian institutions and other international partners.

Ghana’s Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, reinforced the CSA’s position in a separate post on X. “Ghanaian law enforcement and intelligence led the Cyberhunt operations, with primary support from the UK’s National Crime Agency and the FBI you lead,” George wrote. “To suggest the FBI acted solely to execute this operation in your tweet undermines the potential for future collaboration. I expect that you will reflect on the benefits of our continued cooperation and act accordingly”.

George, speaking on TV3’s Ghana Tonight programme, was more direct: “The FBI did not lead the operation. In fact, during the conduct of the operation, there were no FBI officers involved”. He said the operations took place between September 25 and 28, more than a week before Patel’s announcement, and that Ghanaian investigators had not yet publicised the full operation because their work was continuing.

The FBI’s account also stated that the operation had identified 89 victims and nearly $10 million in losses. Patel said Operation Blackout as a whole has resulted in roughly $17 billion in assets being seized, hundreds of alleged scammers arrested, and thousands of trafficked workers freed. More than 10,000 Americans were warned before losing money, preventing an estimated $670 million in losses.

The FBI has not disclosed the identities of those arrested or detained in Ghana, the locations of the operation, or the specific Ghanaian institutions involved. It is also unclear whether any of those arrested will face prosecution in Ghana or be subject to extradition proceedings in the United States.

The disagreement is about more than who gets the credit. George argues that Patel’s announcement risked disrupting an investigation that is still under way, exposing tensions over how international security partners share information and announce results. The FBI has described scam compounds as large, fortified facilities where trafficked workers are forced to conduct fraud against victims abroad, and says criminal networks are increasingly moving their operations towards Africa as law enforcement pressure increases in Southeast Asia and other regions.

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