Meta has removed more than 3.7 million accounts, Pages and Groups from Facebook and Instagram as part of an international operation targeting online scam networks operating in West Africa, including Nigeria and Ghana.
The operation also resulted in 28 arrests, the rescue of 117 people who had been trafficked and forced to work at scam centres in Ghana, and the sharing of intelligence on more than 30 suspected scam centres with law enforcement, according to announcements by Meta and the US Department of Justice.
The crackdown brought together Meta, Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, Coinbase, Adobe, Starlink and other technology companies with law enforcement agencies from 10 countries. Coordinated by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), alongside the FBI, the US Department of Justice and other agencies, the operation focused on disrupting the digital infrastructure and criminal networks used to carry out scams across borders.
Scam networks targeted victims worldwide
According to Meta, most of the accounts, Pages and Groups it removed appeared to target people in the United States and United Kingdom, often through profiles impersonating American and British users.
The networks also reached potential victims in other markets, including Nigeria, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, Brazil, Japan and India.
The operation targeted several types of fraud, including fake investment opportunities, fraudulent job offers, romance scams, impersonation schemes and scams involving the promise of recovering money previously lost to fraud.
The findings highlight how scam operations can use social media profiles, websites and communication channels to reach victims across multiple countries, even when the people operating them are located elsewhere.
Tech companies share intelligence and disrupt infrastructure
Beyond Meta’s account removals, other participating companies took action against suspected scam activity.
Coinbase said it had identified more than 65 active scam victims and prevented more than $415,000 in potential losses. Microsoft suspended accounts suspected of being associated with the activity, while cybersecurity firm Silent Push mapped more than 35,000 malicious domains and nearly 700 communication channels linked to scam centres.
The intelligence gathered helped investigators connect online activity with suspected physical locations and the people operating the networks.
The operation reflects a coordinated approach to tackling online fraud, with technology companies identifying and disrupting activity on their platforms while law enforcement pursues investigations and arrests.
“Scams are a global threat that demand a global response,” said Chris Sonderby, Meta’s vice-president and deputy general counsel.
He said the company would continue working with law enforcement and industry partners to pursue scammers and disrupt their operations.
Ghana scam centre linked to trafficking victims
The operation also exposed the human trafficking associated with some scam operations.
Law enforcement confirmed that 117 people had been rescued from a residential compound in Ghana, where they had been trafficked and forced to work for criminal scam networks. Authorities said the individuals had been held against their will, while those arrested face prosecution.
Nick Sharp, deputy director of fraud at the NCA, said international cooperation had enabled authorities and technology companies to combine their capabilities against criminal networks operating across borders.
The NCA said it would continue working with international and private sector partners to target fraudsters and the infrastructure they depend on.
For Nigeria and other West African markets, the operation puts a spotlight on the regional dimension of online fraud and the need for sustained cooperation between technology platforms, financial services providers and law enforcement.
While removing accounts can disrupt how scammers reach potential victims, dismantling the wider networks requires investigators to trace the people, facilities and financial channels supporting the operations.
The participating companies and law enforcement agencies said the collaboration would support further efforts to identify and disrupt criminal networks operating across West Africa and targeting victims around the world.
