Meta, law enforcement dismantle West African scam networks

Multinational Crackdown Removes Millions of Scam Accounts

Meta announced on October 13, 2026, that a coordinated operation with 14 other technology companies and law-enforcement agencies from 10 countries has removed more than 3.7 million accounts, pages, and groups targeting people in the United States, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere Meta. The U.S. Department of Justice said the companies shared leads on more than 30 suspected scam centers with law enforcement DOJ, enabling arrests and victim rescues across West Africa.

The scale of removals reflects the volume of fraudulent online infrastructure used by criminal networks to perpetrate scams. The 3.7 million figure encompasses online assets—accounts, pages, and groups—rather than unique individuals, and covers targeting conducted across multiple platforms and jurisdictions.

28 Arrests and Victim Rescues in Ghana and Nigeria

Authorities made 28 arrests tied to the criminal scam operations: 19 in Ghana and 9 in Nigeria Axios. In Ghana, arrests occurred in the Accra suburb of Sasaabi, where authorities seized 303 electronic devices used in the scam operations Graphic.

Beyond the arrests, the operation resulted in the identification and rescue of 117 victims of human trafficking in Ghana who were pending repatriation to Nigeria. Meta said the victims had been trafficked and forced to work against their will in scam compounds, performing fraudulent activities under coercion. The rescue of trafficking victims marks a significant humanitarian outcome alongside the removal of the fraudulent infrastructure.

Companies' Role in Intelligence Sharing

The participating technology companies coordinated with law enforcement to identify scam networks and report their findings. By sharing intelligence on suspected scam centers, companies provided law enforcement with actionable leads that contributed to arrests, victim identification, and the seizure of cryptocurrency used in the fraud schemes. This model of private-sector and law-enforcement collaboration demonstrates how platform operators can contribute to disruption of large-scale criminal networks.

The operation represents one of the largest coordinated actions against West African fraud operations in recent years, combining platform enforcement—account removal and content takedown—with criminal investigation and prosecution. No court convictions, sentences, or penalties have been announced at this stage, with authorities noting that the arrested individuals face anticipated prosecution.