The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has carried out an operation targeting a suspected international scam compound in Ghana, with more than 130 people arrested or detained as investigators continue to probe the network.

FBI Director Kash Patel announced the development on Thursday, October 8, 2026, describing the Ghana operation as the latest action under the bureau's global Operation Blackout, a campaign aimed at disrupting large-scale scam centres and the criminal networks operating them.

According to Patel, investigators have so far identified nearly $10 million in losses connected to the Ghana operation and identified 89 victims.

Authorities also seized more than 300 electronic devices during the operation, which remains ongoing.

However, the FBI's figure of more than 130 people arrested or detained does not mean that all of them are suspected fraudsters. Patel said some of those detained were themselves victims of trafficking and are expected to be returned to their home countries.

The distinction is significant because scam compounds can involve people who are allegedly coerced or trafficked into carrying out fraudulent activities rather than willingly participating in the criminal networks.

The identities of those detained and the precise location of the operation have not been publicly disclosed in the information released by Patel.

The FBI's wider Operation Blackout is focused on international scam compounds that allegedly target victims across borders, including Americans. The bureau has described the campaign as an effort to identify, disrupt and dismantle large-scale fraud operations and the networks behind them.

Patel said the wider operation has so far resulted in approximately $17 billion in seized assets, hundreds of alleged scammers being arrested and thousands of trafficked workers being freed.

He also said more than 10,000 Americans had been warned before losing money, while an estimated $670 million in potential losses had been prevented.

The Ghana operation comes amid growing international cooperation between US and Ghanaian authorities in tackling transnational financial and cybercrime.

Recent cooperation between the two countries has included investigations and extradition proceedings involving alleged fraud networks targeting victims in the United States.

The FBI's latest action highlights the increasingly international nature of scam operations, with law enforcement agencies working across borders to identify criminal networks, protect victims and recover assets.

The investigation into the Ghana operation remains active, and further details are expected as authorities continue their work.

Reporting by TalkNaijaMedia