FBI Names Next Country For Its Operation After Arresting 130 Fraudsters in Ghana

• FBI Director Kash Patel announced Operation Blackout in London on October 7, 2026, targeting transnational criminal organisations running cross-border scams
• The FBI joined forces with the UK's National Crime Agency and private industry partners during a dedicated London Disruption Week
• The operation follows the FBI's arrest of 130 fraudsters in Ghana, signalling an intensifying global crackdown on fraud networks

The FBI has launched a coordinated international anti-fraud operation in London, working alongside the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) and private sector partners to disrupt criminal networks running scams against citizens on both sides of the Atlantic.

FBI Director Kash Patel announced the operation on October 7, 2026, via his official X account, describing fraud as "a global threat conducted by Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs)" and calling for international cooperation to counter it.

The initiative, named Operation Blackout, is centred on a London Disruption Week, bringing together law enforcement agencies and industry to prevent, disrupt and dismantle fraud schemes.

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Operation Blackout targets cross-border fraud

Patel framed the London deployment as a direct response to the transnational nature of modern fraud, arguing that criminal organisations exploiting international borders can only be countered through cross-border partnerships. The FBI's presence in London represents a significant commitment of resources to a joint effort with British law enforcement.

The NCA, which serves as the UK's lead agency against serious and organised crime, is a central partner in the operation. The involvement of private industry alongside the two agencies suggests the operation will also target fraud infrastructure such as financial platforms and telecommunications networks that criminal groups exploit to reach victims.

Ghana arrests preceded London operation

The London operation arrives on the heels of a major FBI enforcement action in Ghana, where authorities arrested 130 individuals suspected of carrying out fraud. That sweep underlined the scale of the threat posed by West African-linked fraud networks, which have long been associated with romance scams, business email compromise and advance-fee fraud targeting victims in the United States, the United Kingdom and beyond.

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Operation Blackout appears to represent the next phase of that broader enforcement push, extending the reach of the FBI's anti-fraud efforts into Europe and signalling that London-based networks or facilitators may be among the targets.

No specific arrests or operational results from the London Disruption Week were disclosed in Patel's announcement.

Journalist, media worker arrested over GH¢800,000 fraud

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that two men are facing criminal charges before an Accra Circuit Court after allegedly scheming to defraud a Ghanaian woman based in the US.

Bilyaminu Ibrahim, a media worker, and Mohammed Musah, a journalist, were remanded into police custody after being charged with conspiracy to commit a crime, namely defrauding by false pretence, and harbouring a criminal, respectively. Musah has denied the harbouring charge.

Source: YEN.com.gh