FBI Director Kash Patel says ‘Operation Blackout’ targets global scam centres as US investigators step up efforts to dismantle organised fraud networks.

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has raided a suspected fraud centre in Ghana, leading to the arrest of more than 130 people in a major crackdown on an alleged organised scam operation.

FBI Director Kash Patel announced the operation on Thursday, describing it as part of the agency’s expanding campaign against sophisticated fraud networks operating across international borders.

Patel said the operation, codenamed “Operation Blackout,” was conducted in Ghana this week as the FBI intensifies its efforts to identify and dismantle scam centres believed to target victims around the world.

Sharing details of the operation on his official X account, Patel said the latest raid was another major takedown in the FBI’s global campaign against organised fraud.

“OPERATION BLACKOUT: This is the FBI’s global scam-centre fraud demolition. Another takedown this week out of Ghana,” Patel wrote.

The operation reportedly resulted in the arrest of more than 130 suspects, although authorities have not publicly disclosed the identities of those arrested or provided detailed information on the specific allegations they face.

Scam centres have become an increasing concern for law enforcement agencies worldwide, with criminal networks using organised compounds and large groups of operators to carry out online fraud, impersonation schemes, romance scams, investment scams and other forms of financial deception.

The Ghana operation highlights the increasingly international nature of such crimes, with suspects operating in one country while allegedly targeting victims thousands of kilometres away.

The FBI has increasingly worked with international law enforcement partners to disrupt these networks, seize evidence and identify individuals believed to be involved in large-scale fraud operations.

The latest raid in Ghana is expected to form part of the broader Operation Blackout campaign aimed at shutting down scam centres and disrupting the criminal networks behind them.

Further details about the arrests, the suspected operators and possible charges are expected as investigations continue.