FBI Reports $17 Billion in Seized Assets and Crypto from Scam Centers as West Africa Raids Net 28 Arrests
FBI and DOJ say Operation Blackout nets roughly $17 billion and 28 arrests in West Africa
The FBI said on Oct. 13, 2026 that its Operation Blackout against overseas scam centers has seized roughly $17 billion in "assets and crypto." That same week, raids in Ghana and Nigeria produced 28 arrests.
The Justice Department also reported that online platforms removed more than 3.7 million accounts, pages and groups linked to the scams. These targeted people in the U.S., UK and other countries. The schemes included fake crypto investment fraud, impersonation of law enforcement and extortion.
Key numbers from the latest operation
- 28 arrests made in Ghana and Nigeria during the week beginning Oct. 6.
- More than 3.7 million online accounts, pages and groups removed by partner platforms.
- About $11 million in potentially freezable funds identified by private-sector partners — a lead for recovery, not money already taken back.
- Operation Blackout overall: hundreds of arrests, thousands of trafficked workers freed, coordination among more than 20 countries.
- More than 10,000 Americans warned and an estimated $670 million in losses prevented, according to the FBI.
What the $17 billion covers
The $17 billion figure is a campaign tally, not the proceeds of the latest West Africa raids alone. FBI Director Kash Patel had already reported the same approximate seizure total on Sept. 29.
The bureau has not said how much of the $17 billion is crypto versus other assets, or the exact time period it covers.
Background figures help explain the scale. In a July 27 opinion article for Fox News, Patel referenced the Prince Holding Group case, where DOJ said on Oct. 14, 2025 that about 127,271 bitcoin, worth roughly $15 billion at that time, were held in U.S. government custody.
A separate DOJ tally from the Scam Center Strike Force reported more than $580 million in cryptocurrency freezes and seizures over three months ending Feb. 26. Officials have not explained whether these figures overlap with the FBI campaign total.
International partners and local authority
The latest disruption week was hosted by the UK National Crime Agency in London. Participants included the FBI, Secret Service, Treasury, Homeland Security Investigations, and authorities from Ghana, Nigeria, Australia, Canada, India and New Zealand, plus Interpol.
Private-sector partners named by DOJ include Binance, Coinbase, Chainalysis, Elliptic and TRM Labs.
Who ran the raids has been disputed. Ghana's Cyber Security Authority said on Oct. 8 that its own Cyber Hunt operation was planned and carried out by Ghanaian institutions. It acknowledged that the FBI and UK NCA provided valuable intelligence but rejected the idea that the FBI independently commanded the operation.
DOJ's own Oct. 13 account said Ghanaian agencies led the Ghana operation with support from the NCA, FBI and Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. It added that 117 trafficking victims identified in Sasaabi were awaiting repatriation to Nigeria.
Why this matters for crypto users
Cryptocurrency remains a common tool for online scam centers because transactions are hard to reverse once sent. The FBI and DOJ are combining physical raids with pressure on social media accounts, trading platforms and blockchain analysis firms to cut off the money flow.
The $11 million in potentially freezable funds shows how law enforcement is moving toward targeting crypto holdings before they can be moved or cashed out. It also highlights that recovery leads are not yet money returned to victims.
What is still unclear
It is unclear how much of the $17 billion campaign total comes from crypto and how much from other assets. It is also unclear whether the DOJ's $580 million Strike Force figure overlaps with the FBI's broader $17 billion tally. The exact period covered by the FBI's campaign number has not been specified.
Sources
Newisty Editorial Team covers technology, cryptocurrency, digital products, online platforms, developer tools and the wider digital economy. Our content is researched from official sources, company announcements, public documentation, market data and other primary or reputable sources. Articles are reviewed and edited before publication for clarity, accuracy and useful context.
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