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The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) says more than 130 people have been arrested or detained in Ghana as part of an international operation targeting scam centres accused of defrauding victims, including American citizens.
FBI Director Kash Patel disclosed the development in a post on X on Thursday, October 8, 2026, stating that investigations in Ghana had uncovered nearly $10 million in losses involving 89 victims.
He added that authorities had seized more than 300 electronic devices in connection with the operation.
According to Patel, those arrested or detained include victims of human trafficking, some of whom are expected to be repatriated to their respective countries as investigations continue.
The operation, known as Operation Blackout, is part of a broader international crackdown on scam compounds accused of exploiting vulnerable individuals and targeting people with fraudulent schemes.
“These scam compounds target American citizens and destroy lives,” Patel said, adding that the FBI was pursuing such criminal networks “in every corner of the world.”
Providing an update on the wider operation, the FBI director said authorities had seized approximately $17 billion, arrested hundreds of alleged scammers and rescued thousands of trafficked workers.
Patel further revealed that the operation had helped protect more than 10,000 Americans from financial fraud before they lost money, with estimated losses of about $670 million prevented.
Despite the scale of the operation in Ghana, the FBI has not disclosed a timeline for concluding the investigation. Details regarding the identities of those arrested or detained have also not been made public.
Investigations into the alleged scam operations remain ongoing, while authorities continue efforts to identify those involved and address cases of human trafficking linked to the compounds.