The FBI says it has disrupted a scam compound in Ghana, with more than 130 people arrested or detained and nearly 10 million US dollars in losses identified so far.
FBI Director Kash Patel disclosed the figures on Thursday, 8 October 2026, in a post on X. He described the action as the latest stage of Operation Blackout, the bureau’s campaign against overseas scam compounds that target American citizens. The announcement was made on social media rather than through a formal joint statement with the Ghanaian government.
According to Mr Patel, investigators have so far identified 89 victims linked to the Ghana operation, and more than 300 devices were seized. He said the inquiry remains open. He also stated that those arrested or detained include victims of trafficking who will be returned to their home countries. He did not name the site of the compound, the date of the raid, or the local agencies involved.
Mr Patel said compounds of this kind target American citizens and destroy lives, and that the FBI is pursuing them wherever they operate. He added that further action would follow.
He gave these running totals for Operation Blackout: roughly 17 billion US dollars seized; hundreds of alleged scammers arrested; thousands of trafficked workers freed; more than 10,000 Americans warned before they lost money; and an estimated 670 million US dollars in losses prevented.
Earlier accounts of the same operation have tied most of the seized assets to cryptocurrency forfeitures linked to scam networks in South East Asia, including large compounds in Cambodia. Mr Patel has previously said the networks are shifting towards central and sub Saharan Africa, and that the bureau is following that movement. In late September he told Fox News that Operation Blackout combines overseas raids, asset seizures, the cutting of communications used by the compounds, and warnings to potential victims.
Ghanaian authorities had not issued a separate public account of the raid at the time of publication. The figures rest on the director’s statement. Some of those held are described by the FBI as trafficking victims rather than suspects, so the number detained is not the same as the number accused of fraud.
By A. Ikechukwu
- FBI detains more than 130 in Ghana scam raid under Operation Blackout
- Microsoft suspended from green card programme over fraud claims, Vance says
- US: Nigerian canvasser arrested in Pennsylvania after indecent exposure allegation
- Keyamo and Air Chief agree closer civil and military aviation safety collaboration after Igbokoda tragedy
- President Tinubu Mourns Chief Ralph Obioha and Praises His Stand for Democracy
