What happened?

Tech companies including Meta, Coinbase, Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, Starlink and Adobe carried out a joint operation hosted by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) in London, alongside the US Department of Justice, the FBI and other federal agencies. The operation targeted scam networks based in West Africa, particularly Nigeria and Ghana. According to the companies, this was the first broad joint disruption targeting criminal scam networks in the region.

Results of the operation

  • Digital disruption: Meta removed more than 3.7 million Facebook and Instagram accounts, pages and groups based in West Africa. Most appeared to impersonate American and British users to target people in the US and UK. Microsoft also suspended accounts suspected of being tied to scam activity.
  • Real-world action: Leads on more than 30 scam centers were shared, and law enforcement confirmed the arrests of 28 individuals and the rescue of 117 victims who had been trafficked as part of criminal operations.
  • Victim funds protected: Coinbase proactively identified more than 65 active scam victims and stopped more than $415,000 in potential losses before they occurred.
  • Intelligence gains: The shared information deepened investigations and helped platforms scale up detection and enforcement against criminal groups.

How it was carried out

Starting Tuesday, October 6, the NCA convened Meta and other companies at its London headquarters together with Ghanaian and Nigerian law enforcement and partners from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and India. Teams shared actionable intelligence across the fraud attack chain, from scammer recruitment and infrastructure to victim identification and the movement of funds.

Why it matters

In Ghana, 117 people who had been held in a residential compound and subjected to physical and psychological abuse were rescued; those arrested now face prosecution. The companies stress that criminals keep seeking new havens, making cooperation between law enforcement, industry and governments essential to disrupting these networks.