Global technology companies and international law enforcement agencies have executed what they have described as the largest operation of its kind to date to dismantle cybercrime networks operating across West Africa.Industry heavyweights including Meta, Google, Microsoft, Starlink, OpenAI, Coinbase, and Adobe joined forces with law enforcement from ten nations – hosted by the UK’s National Crime Agency, alongside the FBI, US Department of Justice, INTERPOL, and Ghanaian and Nigerian police during an initiative dubbed “Joint Disruption Week”.According to a statement from Meta, the task force, which commenced coordination earlier this month, targeted scam compounds operating in Nigeria, Ghana, and neighbouring states. The criminal gangs were charged with executing multi-platform fraud schemes against victims worldwide.In Ghana, raids focused on Sasaabi, a semi-rural suburb outside Accra, resulting in 19 arrests and the seizure of 303 electronic devices. Meanwhile, in Nigeria, authorities arrested nine individuals and seized 53 electronic devices.Meta, the parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, said the multi-agency coalition enabled swift disruptions across both physical infrastructure and digital platforms. This included the removal of 3.7 million accounts, pages, and groups across Facebook and Instagram originating from West Africa, which primarily targeted users in North America and Europe through impersonation schemes. Microsoft similarly suspended key accounts linked to the networks.ITWeb Africa previously reported that West Africa has displayed systemic vulnerability as expanding connectivity intersects with high youth unemployment figures, informal economies, and regional criminal mobility.This has led criminal actors in Nigeria to evolve far beyond traditional scams into advanced business email compromise, crypto fraud, and corporate impersonation targeting victims globally.Investigating agencies revealed that these compounds specialised in digital ‘arrest’ extortion schemes – where scammers pose as law enforcement to force victims into sending money – as well as cryptocurrency investment fraud and romance scams.“Leads on over 30 scam centres were shared and law enforcement confirmed arrests of 28 individuals,” said Meta.Across the entire operation, participating tech companies and law enforcement identified at least $11 million in potentially freezable funds tied to the networks. In the Ghana operation alone, authorities identified 89 specific victims who had suffered an approximate loss of $8.3 million, highlighted the US Department of Justice. Additionally, Coinbase identified more than 65 active scam victims and stopped more than $415,000 in potential losses before they occurred.As well as consumer tech platforms, satellite infrastructure and specialised security firms played pivotal roles. SpaceX’s Starlink disabled satellite hardware misused by syndicates to maintain connectivity, while cybersecurity firm Silent Push mapped over 35,000 malicious domains and nearly 700 communication channels directly linked to the operations.Officials highlighted that the operation underscores the imperative for public-private collaboration in tackling transnational digital crime.“When we disrupted scam compounds in Southeast Asia earlier this year, we proved that coordinated action across industry and law enforcement works. As criminal networks try to re-establish in Africa, Coinbase’s Global Intelligence team is following the money, freezing assets, and sharing intelligence in real time so law enforcement can act,” said Leah Bressack, vice president of Coinbase.Jack Stubbs, lead scams investigator at OpenAI, said: “By sharing insights responsibly with industry and law enforcement partners, we can identify scam networks across platforms and build stronger collective defences.”
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