The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrested 9 (nine) people in Nigeria as part of an international crackdown on cybercriminal networks accused of defrauding Americans through sophisticated online scams.
The arrests were made under Operation Blackout, a coordinated enforcement effort targeting criminal networks operating scam centres across international borders.
FBI Director Kash Patel disclosed the development in a post on X, saying the operation also led to the seizure of 53 electronic devices and the identification of approximately $11 million in funds considered potentially eligible for freezing across several countries.
According to Patel, the operation was aimed at disrupting international cybercrime networks accused of carrying out large-scale financial fraud against victims in the United States.
“Operation Blackout is taking the fight directly to the international cybercriminal networks stealing billions from Americans,” Patel said.
FBI: Scam centres targeting unsuspecting victims
Patel said the criminal networks operated scam centres where victims were allegedly deceived into transferring their money to fraudsters.
Some victims, he said, lost their life savings after falling victim to the schemes.
The FBI director said the networks operated across national borders and appeared to rely on the distance between the criminals and their victims to avoid detection and prosecution.
“These scam centers exploit innocent victims, steal life savings, and operate across international borders believing they are beyond the reach of law enforcement,” Patel said.
The latest arrests form part of growing international efforts to dismantle the infrastructure supporting online fraud and prevent criminal groups from using digital platforms to target victims in other countries.
FBI commends Nigerian, London law enforcement agencies
Patel praised Nigerian law enforcement agencies and their partners in London for their cooperation during the operation.
He said collaboration between countries was critical to investigating and dismantling cybercrime networks whose activities extend beyond a single jurisdiction.
“Thanks to Nigerian law enforcement and our partners in London for their outstanding cooperation,” he said.
The FBI director also issued a warning to cybercriminals operating outside the United States and targeting Americans through online fraud.
Patel made it clear that operating from another country would not necessarily protect suspected cybercriminals from investigation or prosecution.
“JUSTICE WILL FIND YOU,” he declared.
28 arrested in wider Nigeria-Ghana cybercrime crackdown
The arrests in Nigeria were part of a wider international enforcement campaign against online scam networks operating in Nigeria and Ghana.
The United States Department of Justice said the broader operation resulted in 28 arrests across the two West African countries, while hundreds of electronic devices were seized by authorities.
Investigators also removed more than 3.7 million fraudulent online accounts, pages and groups allegedly associated with the scam networks.
Authorities said the measures were intended to disrupt the digital infrastructure used by cybercriminal groups to identify potential victims, communicate with them, collect money and sustain fraudulent operations.
International fight against cybercrime intensifies
The latest operation highlights the increasing cooperation between US authorities and law enforcement agencies in West Africa in the fight against international cybercrime.
As fraud networks increasingly operate across borders and use online platforms to reach victims thousands of kilometres away, international law enforcement cooperation has become an important part of efforts to track suspects, recover funds and dismantle criminal networks.
The FBI’s Operation Blackout signals another major step in the ongoing crackdown on cybercriminal groups accused of exploiting online platforms to defraud victims in the United States and other countries.
