The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has seized more than 300 electronic devices in Ghana as part of a crackdown on a suspected scam operation targeting American citizens.

The operation has so far identified nearly US$10 million in losses and 89 victims, FBI Director Kash Patel has revealed.

In an X (formerly Twitter) post on Thursday, October 8, Mr Patel said more than 130 individuals had been arrested or detained as part of the operation.

He, however, indicated that some of those arrested or detained are victims who are expected to be repatriated to their home countries.

“Nearly $10 million in identified losses so far, 89 victims identified, 130+ individuals arrested or detained, including victims who will be repatriated to their home country, and 300+ devices seized,” Mr Patel said.

The FBI Director said the investigation is ongoing, with the bureau continuing efforts to dismantle scam compounds targeting American citizens.

“These scam compounds target American citizens and destroy lives,” he said, adding that the FBI was continuing to target such operations in different parts of the world.

The locations of the operation in Ghana, the identities and nationalities of those arrested or detained, and the specific Ghanaian institutions involved have not been disclosed.

Ghanaian authorities had also not publicly provided further details on the operation at the time of reporting.

Operation Blackout

The Ghana operation forms part of a wider FBI crackdown dubbed “Operation Blackout”, which targets scam operations around the world.

According to Mr Patel, the operation has so far resulted in roughly US$17 billion being seized globally.

He said the wider operation has also led to the arrest of hundreds of alleged scammers and the release of thousands of trafficked workers.

The FBI has also warned more than 10,000 Americans before they lost money to scam operations, while an estimated US$670 million in losses has been prevented, according to Mr Patel.

The bureau has described scam compounds as operations that target people overseas through various fraudulent schemes, while some workers are allegedly trafficked or coerced into participating in the scams.

Mr Patel said the investigation into the Ghana operation remains ongoing.