The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has announced that its global crackdown on scam centre fraud, Operation Blackout, has so far resulted in the seizure of roughly US$17 billion, the arrest of hundreds of alleged scammers and the freeing of thousands of trafficked workers, while acknowledging the role of Ghanaian authorities in the operation.
In a post on X on Sunday, October 11, 2026, the FBI Director, Mr Kashyap Pramod Patel, said the operation had also warned more than 10,000 Americans before they lost their money, preventing an estimated US$670 million in losses.
The latest statement follows an earlier post in which Mr Patel announced the Ghana component of the operation, which he said had identified nearly US$10 million in losses, 89 victims, more than 130 individuals arrested or detained and over 300 devices seized
That earlier announcement drew a sharp response from Ghana’s Cyber Security Authority, which rejected suggestions that the operation in Ghana was independently conceived, commanded or executed by the FBI
The authority said the exercise, also known as Operation Cyber Hunt, was planned, coordinated and executed by Ghanaian authorities within the country’s legal and institutional frameworks
The authority said the operation was led and coordinated by the Cyber Security Authority with support from Ghana’s National Security Council, the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service, the National Crime Agency of the United Kingdom, the FBI, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of Nigeria, the Joint Case Team on Cybercrime, the Ghana Immigration Service and the Office of the Attorney-General.
The operation involved raids on suspected cybercrime bases in the Greater Accra Region, resulting in the arrest of eight suspects and the rescue of one hundred and twenty potential trafficking victims, most of them Nigerians, who were allegedly forced to engage in online fraud, including romance scams.
Authorities seized 136 mobile phones, 130 laptops, four vehicles, jewellery and ten Nigerian passports. Repatriation efforts and investigations are ongoing
The authority emphasised that Ghana is a sovereign republic governed by its Constitution and laws, adding that foreign law enforcement agencies have no independent authority to exercise police powers or conduct arrests within the country.
While challenging the portrayal of the operation, the authority acknowledged the valuable intelligence contributions of the FBI and the National Crime Agency. It called on the FBI to clarify its public account of the Ghana-led operation and acknowledge the contributions of the Ghanaian institutions and other international partners responsible for its execution. “The Authority remains available for constructive engagement to ensure that the public record reflects the respective roles of all participating agencies,” it added.
