By: Yetunde Aiyedogbon
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) says nine people have been arrested in Nigeria in an international operation targeting cybercriminal networks accused of defrauding Americans through online scams.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced the arrests in a post on X. He said the operation, code-named Operation Blackout, also led to the seizure of 53 electronic devices and the identification of $11 million in funds that could potentially be frozen across several countries.
Patel said the networks ran scam centres that tricked victims into transferring money, some of whom lost their life savings. He said the groups worked across borders, allegedly believing their locations would protect them from law enforcement.
“These scam centers exploit innocent victims, steal life savings, and operate across international borders believing they are beyond the reach of law enforcement,” he said.
He thanked Nigerian law enforcement agencies and partners in London for their cooperation, calling international collaboration essential to tackling networks that span several jurisdictions. He also warned cybercriminals targeting Americans from abroad that they would continue to face action, ending his message with the words “JUSTICE WILL FIND YOU.”
Wider crackdown
The operation was part of a broader international effort against online scam networks in West Africa. The US Department of Justice said that effort led to 28 arrests across Nigeria and Ghana and the seizure of hundreds of electronic devices. It also led to the removal of more than 3.7 million fraudulent online accounts, pages and groups allegedly linked to the networks, in an attempt to disrupt the digital infrastructure used to target victims and move stolen money.
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