An international operation targeting alleged scam networks in West Africa led to 28 arrests in Ghana and Nigeria and the removal of more than 3.7 million online accounts, pages and groups linked to suspected fraud, according to the US Justice Department.

The effort brought together law enforcement and private-sector companies, including Binance and Coinbase, during a coordinated week of action in October. Officials also said partners identified more than $11 million in funds that could potentially be frozen, though they did not describe that amount as seized money or confirmed victim recoveries.

Joint operation coordinated from London

The campaign, known as Joint Disruption Week, was run during the week beginning October 6, with investigators working together at the UK National Crime Agency in London. Authorities said the operation focused on networks accused of investment fraud, impersonation and other online scams affecting victims both inside and outside West Africa.

The Justice Department announced the results on October 13, framing the effort as a cross-border response to online fraud groups that rely on large digital infrastructures. While the arrest total drew immediate attention, the takedown of millions of accounts and groups suggests the operation was aimed as much at dismantling communications and outreach channels as at detaining suspects.

Arrests in Ghana and Nigeria

According to US authorities, Ghanaian officials arrested 19 people in an operation near Accra and seized 303 electronic devices. Nigerian authorities reported nine additional arrests, bringing the combined total to 28.

Investigators also identified 117 trafficking victims in Ghana. That detail indicates the operation was not limited to financial fraud alone and that some scam-centre activity may involve people being exploited or coerced as part of the networks under investigation.

Role of Binance, Coinbase and other companies

Binance and Coinbase were among the industry participants named in the operation, alongside Chainalysis, Elliptic, Meta, Google and Microsoft. The companies were described as helping share intelligence or disrupt infrastructure used by suspected scammers.

That cooperation can help authorities map connections across social media, payment channels and blockchain wallets. At the same time, the announcement did not say that every suspect or every scheme involved cryptocurrency, and the presence of crypto firms in the operation should not be taken as proof that digital assets were central to each case.

What the $11 million figure does and does not mean

Officials said private-sector partners identified more than $11 million in funds that could potentially be frozen. The wording is important: the figure refers to money that may be reachable, not to confirmed seizures or funds already returned to victims.

That leaves a significant gap between detection and recovery. Identifying accounts, wallets or payment trails can support investigations, but converting that information into actual freezes, confiscations or restitution depends on later legal and operational steps that were not described in the announcement.

What comes next

The next confirmed phase is not a new operation but the follow-through on what has already been identified. The key questions are how much of the more than $11 million authorities can ultimately secure and whether the scam infrastructure taken offline remains disrupted over time.

For now, the publicly confirmed results are the 28 arrests, the 303 devices seized in Ghana, the identification of 117 trafficking victims and the removal of more than 3.7 million accounts, pages and groups tied to alleged fraud. Further outcomes, especially around asset freezes and victim recovery, remain uncertain.

Source: bitcoinist.com