Meta and 14 other technology companies have joined law enforcement agencies from ten countries to disrupt scam networks operating across West Africa, including in Nigeria and Ghana. According to Meta, the operation removed more than 3.7 million accounts, pages, and groups, while law enforcement arrested 28 people and rescued 117 trafficking victims.

The results were announced on Oct 13 in a statement from Meta, which described the action as the largest operation of its kind to date and the first to broadly target scam networks in the region. The operation was hosted by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) in London on Oct 6, with participation from the US Department of Justice, the FBI, and other US agencies. Nigerian and Ghanaian law enforcement took part, alongside agencies from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and India. The action stands out for combining account removals with arrests, victim rescue, and fund identification rather than platform takedowns alone.

What the operation targeted

Meta said the removed accounts were based in West Africa, with most appearing to target people in the US and UK through profiles that impersonated Americans and Britons. Victims were also reached in Germany, Brazil, Japan, India, South Africa, and Nigeria, among other countries.

Investigators said the networks ran investment, romance, job, and task scams, along with police and military impersonation, non-delivery fraud, and fake “scam recovery” offers.

Partner companies contributed their own findings. Coinbase said it identified more than 65 active victims and stopped more than $415,000 in potential losses. Silent Push said it mapped more than 35,000 malicious domains and nearly 700 communication channels. Microsoft also suspended accounts it linked to the activity. The contributors spanned social media, a cryptocurrency exchange, and a network threat-intelligence firm, extending the operation's visibility from victim losses to malicious infrastructure.

Meta disclosed that 117 victims were trafficked and forced to work for scam operations and were held in a residential compound in Ghana. Their captors were arrested and face prosecution, the company said. The disclosure adds a human-trafficking dimension to a crackdown otherwise counted in accounts and domains.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the operation identified at least $11 million in “potentially freezable funds” and seized hundreds of devices across multiple African countries. Meta's release does not specify how many of the accounts or arrests were in Nigeria, nor does it name the Nigerian agency involved.

Earlier actions in Nigeria

Meta has previously acted against Nigeria-based networks. In July 2024, it removed about 63,000 Instagram accounts in Nigeria linked to financial sextortion, including a network of around 2,500 accounts tied to roughly 20 individuals.

In February, Meta, the NCA, and the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre disrupted a suspected scam centre in Agbor, Delta State. Police arrested seven suspects and seized 26 phones, 42 SIM cards, and one laptop. Those actions were limited to Nigeria; the latest operation spans the region and brings in far more companies.

Comparison with Southeast Asia

Meta ran a similar operation in Southeast Asia in June. It disabled1.4 million accounts, and the Royal Thai Police arrested 63 people. The West Africa figures are more than 2.5 times higher on accounts but lower on arrests. Meta said scam centres in West Africa are generally more decentralised and less industrial than those in Southeast Asia.

Nick Sharp, the NCA's deputy director of fraud, said, “Fraudsters can operate from anywhere.” Coinbase's Leah Bressack said criminal networks are trying to re-establish themselves in Africa following the Southeast Asian disruptions. The immediate follow-ups are the prosecution of the arrested captors and the handling of the at least $11 million in funds the FBI identified as potentially freezable.