FBI raids compound, arrests over 130 in Ghana over fraud

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, has raided a suspected fraud compound in Ghana, resulting in the arrest or detention of more than 130 people.

FBI Director Kash Patel disclosed the development in a post on his official X account on Thursday. 

According to Patel, the operation, codenamed “Operation Blackout,” was conducted in Ghana this week as part of the bureau’s wider efforts to dismantle international scam centres.

“OPERATION BLACKOUT: This is the FBI’s global scam-centre fraud demolition. Another takedown this week out of Ghana,”Patel wrote.

He said investigators had identified nearly $10 million in losses and 89 victims in connection with the operation, while more than 130 people had been arrested or detained.

Patel said some of those detained were victims of trafficking and would be repatriated to their respective countries.

The operation also led to the seizure of more than 300 electronic devices, according to the FBI director.

“Investigation is ongoing. These scam compounds target American citizens and destroy lives – and this @FBI is crushing them in every corner of the world. More to come,” Patel said.

Providing an update on the broader Operation Blackout campaign, he said authorities had so far seized about $17 billion, arrested hundreds of alleged scammers and rescued thousands of trafficked workers.

Patel added that more than 10,000 Americans had been alerted before they lost money to the scams, helping to prevent estimated losses of about $670 million.