West African Scam Compounds Raided, 100+ Suspected Trafficking Victims Identified

International Operation Targets West African Scam Networks

An international operation, dubbed "Joint Disruption Week," led by Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA) and involving 15 law enforcement agencies and 15 tech companies, including Meta, Microsoft, and Google, targeted scam compounds in West Africa. The operation resulted in the arrest or detention of 28 individuals in Ghana and Nigeria.

Raids and Victim Identification

In Ghana, authorities raided a compound in Sasaabi, arresting 19 people and seizing 303 devices. Nigerian authorities made an additional nine arrests. Ghanaian police identified 117 individuals as suspected human trafficking victims, who are now awaiting repatriation to Nigeria. Additionally, 89 scam victims were identified, with estimated losses totaling $8.3 million.

Tech Companies' Role in Disruption

The participating technology companies removed over 3.7 million accounts, pages, and groups linked to the West African scam centers. Meta alone accounted for the removal of 3.7 million accounts on Facebook and Instagram. The disrupted schemes included law enforcement impersonation scams, digital 'arrest' extortion, cryptocurrency investment fraud ('pig butchering'), and other online fraud operations.

Financial Impact and Ongoing Investigation

Following the police action, officials identified over $11 million in "potentially freezable" funds. The FBI noted that identifying assets is the "easy part." Forensic work on seized devices is ongoing to determine the number of British or American victims targeted by these compounds.

Meta's Contribution to the Operation

The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia stated that the operation originated from information provided by Meta. The NCA also acknowledged Meta's key role in coordinating the event and encouraging broad private sector participation in the joint effort.