West Africa scam-centre crackdown: NCA-hosted 'Joint Disruption Week' with Australian police and Meta, Google, Microsoft and OpenAI removes 3.7 million accounts, 28 arrests in Ghana and Nigeria, 117 trafficking victims found
The US Department of Justice and Meta announced on 13 October 2026 the results of a 'Joint Disruption Week' against scam networks operating from West Africa, the first coordinated operation focused on the region. The UK National Crime Agency hosted it in London from 6 October with the DOJ, FBI, US Secret Service, Treasury, Homeland Security Investigations, Nigerian and Ghanaian cybercrime units, INTERPOL, and law enforcement from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and India. Industry partners including Meta, Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, Coinbase, Binance, Adobe, Starlink, Chainalysis, Elliptic, TRM Labs, Flashpoint, Silent Push and Cyjax shared intelligence and acted on their own platforms. Meta removed more than 3.7 million Facebook and Instagram accounts, Pages and Groups based in West Africa, most posing as American and British users; Microsoft suspended linked accounts; partners shared leads on more than 30 suspected scam centres and identified over US$11 million in potentially freezable funds, and Coinbase says it stopped more than US$415,000 in losses to 65-plus active victims. Authorities made 28 arrests: in Sasaabi near Accra, Ghana, 19 people were arrested, 303 devices seized, 117 human-trafficking victims identified for repatriation to Nigeria and 89 scam victims with about US$8.3 million in losses found; Nigeria made nine arrests and seized 53 devices. The schemes included law-enforcement impersonation, 'digital arrest' extortion and cryptocurrency investment fraud (pig butchering). Neither announcement names Australian victims.
- Exploited in Australia?
- unknown
- Patch to
- Treat unsolicited investment, romance or 'police/government' contact on social media as a likely scam: never move money or crypto on a stranger's instructions, and check a caller by ringing the agency on a number you look up yourself. Report losses to ReportCyber (cyber.gov.au) and Scamwatch, and call your bank immediately to try to stop a transfer.
Primary: US Department of Justice — Results of law enforcement and private industry Joint Disruption Week targeting West African scam networks (13 Oct 2026) · Vendor: Meta Newsroom — Meta, tech companies and law enforcement crack down on global scam networks (13 Oct 2026) · Cybersecurity News — Meta, Google, Microsoft and OpenAI join global crackdown on West African scam networks (14 Oct 2026)