FBI Director Kash Patel says Operation Blackout, a global crackdown on scam centre fraud, has resulted in the seizure of approximately $17 billion, while preventing an estimated $670 million in potential losses.
In an update on X, Mr Patel said the operation had delivered significant results, including the arrest of hundreds of alleged scammers, the liberation of thousands of trafficked workers and warnings to more than 10,000 Americans before they lost money to fraud.
“OPERATION BLACKOUT: This FBI’s global crackdown on scam center fraud continues to deliver outstanding results in Ghana,” he wrote.
According to Mr Patel, the operation has also helped disrupt criminal networks involved in online scams and the exploitation of people forced to work in scam centres.
The FBI chief listed the estimated $670 million in prevented losses among the campaign’s key achievements, alongside the reported seizure of roughly $17 billion.
Operation Blackout uncovered suspected cybercrime centres in parts of the Greater Accra Region, resulting in the arrest of eight suspects and the rescue of 120 people suspected of being trafficked and exploited for online fraud.
The operation followed intelligence received on August 26, 2026, that several apartments at Ubuntu Haven Estate in Kpone Katamanso, Franko Estate in Ga North and other locations in Ga West were allegedly being used as bases for organised cybercrime, including romance scams.
Items recovered included 136 mobile phones, 130 laptops, internet connection devices, four vehicles, digital equipment, jewellery and 10 Nigerian passports. One of the vehicles was reported to have been stolen from Canada.
The Ghana Cyber Security Authority (CSA), however, has clarified that the Ghana operation, also known as Operation Cyber Hunt, was planned, coordinated and executed by Ghanaian authorities, with support from international partners, including the FBI.
The operation involved Ghanaian security and law enforcement agencies working with international counterparts to tackle cybercrime and related offences.
