FBI Raids Ghana Scam Centre, Detains Over 130 in $10m Fraud Probe

FBI Raids Ghana Scam Centre, Detains Over 130 in $10m Fraud Probe

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has raided a suspected scam centre in Ghana, detaining more than 130 people and uncovering nearly $10 million in identified losses linked to an international fraud operation targeting Americans.

The operation, carried out under the FBI’s Operation Blackout, also led to the seizure of more than 300 electronic devices, while investigators identified 89 victims, FBI Director Kash Patel said.

Patel announced the operation on Thursday, saying the Ghana raid was part of the FBI’s wider campaign against transnational scam networks operating through so-called scam compounds.

However, the FBI has not classified everyone detained as a suspected fraudster.

Patel specifically said the more than 130 people arrested or detained included victims who are expected to be repatriated to their home countries, suggesting that some people found at the facility may have been trafficked into the operation rather than involved in running the scams.

The FBI has not disclosed the exact location of the Ghana operation, the identities or nationalities of those detained, or the Ghanaian agencies that participated in the raid.

It also remains unclear how many of those detained will face criminal charges in Ghana or possible prosecution or extradition proceedings in the United States.

Patel said the investigation was continuing, warning that scam compounds are increasingly being used to target American citizens and inflict substantial financial losses.

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The Ghana operation is the latest action under Operation Blackout, which the FBI says is targeting organised fraud networks around the world.

According to Patel, the broader operation has so far resulted in roughly $17 billion in assets seized, hundreds of alleged scammers arrested and thousands of trafficked workers freed.

More than 10,000 Americans have also reportedly been warned before losing money, with the FBI estimating that about $670 million in losses were prevented.

The Ghana raid comes amid growing concern over the international expansion of online fraud and scam compounds, with law-enforcement agencies increasingly reporting links between cyber-enabled fraud and human trafficking.

In such operations, workers can be recruited through false employment offers and allegedly transported or coerced into participating in online fraud against victims in other countries.

Ghana has previously cooperated with U.S. authorities in investigations involving transnational fraud.

In July 2026, Ghanaian national Frederick Kumi, also known as Abu Trica, was extradited to the United States after being arrested in Ghana in December 2025. U.S. prosecutors accused him of participating in a romance-fraud network that allegedly targeted more than 80 elderly Americans and caused losses exceeding $8 million.

The extradition involved cooperation between Ghanaian authorities and several U.S. and Ghanaian law-enforcement bodies, including the FBI’s Legal Attaché Office in Accra.

The latest FBI operation also comes as international enforcement agencies increase pressure on scam networks operating outside traditional fraud hotspots in Southeast Asia.

The FBI has not released further details about the Ghana raid, and the investigation remains ongoing.

The bureau is expected to provide additional information as investigators establish the roles of those detained and determine which individuals, if any, will face prosecution.

Those accused of criminal offences are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

FBI Raids Ghana Scam Centre, Detains Over 130 in $10m Fraud Probe