.Meta removed over 3.7m Facebook, Instagram accounts

A coalition of international authorities and global technology titans has dismantled sprawling, sophisticated cybercriminal infrastructure spanning West Africa.

Described as the largest and most comprehensive operation of its kind in history, the landmark operation targeted transnational fraud syndicates operating primarily out of Nigeria and Ghana, exposing deep-seated human trafficking rings and disrupting financial pipelines that have fleeced unsuspecting victims across the globe.

The coordinated offensive was hosted in London by the UK National Crime Agency (NCA) in a high-stakes partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and several other elite U.S. federal agencies.

Law enforcement personnel from 10 countries joined forces with an unprecedented coalition of tech giants, including Meta, Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, Coinbase, Adobe, Starlink, and cybersecurity firm Silent Push, to strike at the heart of cybercrime networks that have long operated with near-impunity across West African territories.

At the epicentre of the tech industry’s crackdown was Meta, which executed an aggressive purge of digital assets linked to the West African syndicates. The tech conglomerate announced the removal of more than 3.7 million accounts, Pages, and Groups across Facebook and Instagram.

According to platform telemetry and intelligence reports, most of these removed entities utilised sophisticated impersonation tactics. Cybercriminals routinely adopted fake profiles mimicking American and British citizens to establish false trust with targets in the United States and the United Kingdom.

However, the reach of these criminal networks extended far beyond Western democracies. The report said investigations confirmed that victims were being actively targeted and exploited worldwide, spanning nations including Poland, Germany, Brazil, Japan, India, South Korea, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Turkey, and Nigeria itself.

The operation exposed the industrial-scale nature of modern cyber fraud. Rather than isolated hackers operating out of basements, these syndicates functioned as highly organised corporate entities, managing vast webs of digital infrastructure, communications channels, and physical compounds.

While the digital takedowns crippled the online presence of the syndicates, the physical fallout of the operation delivered profound real-world justice.

Law enforcement agencies confirmed the arrest of 28 key individuals tied to the command and control structures of the scam networks.

Even more critically, the raids laid bare the dark underbelly of these operations: human trafficking. Authorities successfully rescued 117 trafficking victims who had been imprisoned inside a heavily guarded residential compound in Ghana. These individuals, coerced through force and deception, were subjected to modern-day slavery, forced to work long hours executing scam operations on behalf of the criminal bosses.

Further, actionable intelligence gathered during the initiative provided law enforcement with precise leads on over 30 active scam centres scattered throughout the region, setting the stage for future interventions.

The unprecedented collaboration saw other major tech and financial institutions deploy their specialised capabilities to disrupt the fraudsters in real time.

Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase took aggressive preventative measures, proactively identifying more than 65 active scam victims and halting over $415,000 in potential financial losses before transactions could be finalised. Microsoft intervened by systematically suspending user accounts identified as conduits for malicious activity.

Meanwhile, threat-intelligence firm Silent Push mapped a staggering expanse of criminal infrastructure, identifying over 35,000 malicious domains and nearly 700 distinct communication channels tied directly to the West African scam centres.

This vital telemetry allowed investigators to trace digital footprints backwards, connecting anonymous online scams to physical geographic locations and tangible operators.

The success of the joint operation has drawn high-level praise from global leaders, who emphasised that cybercrime is no longer bounded by geographic borders and therefore demands an equally borderless defence.

VP and Deputy General Counsel at Meta, Chris Sonderby, said: “Scams are a global threat that demands a global response.

“Last week, working with the UK National Crime Agency, the FBI, DOJ, and the Homeland Security Task Force, we took the fight to scam centres across West Africa. As part of the disruption, we removed more than 3.7 million accounts, Pages and Groups targeting people in the US, UK, and beyond, and shared leads on over 30 suspected scam centres, resulting in dozens of arrests, the rescue of trafficking victims, and cryptocurrency seizures. This operation shows what partnership makes possible, and we’ll keep working with law enforcement and industry to pursue scammers wherever they operate.”

Deputy Director of Fraud at the National Crime Agency, Nick Sharp, echoed these sentiments, highlighting the power of cross-sector alliances.

“Fraud is a global problem and it takes partnership working across international boundaries to tackle it.”