In a Meta scam crackdown run jointly with police from the US, the UK, Nigeria, Ghana and other countries, Meta says it removed more than 3.7 million Facebook and Instagram accounts, pages and groups based in West Africa. Most of those accounts were aimed at people in the US and UK, using profiles that pretended to be American and British users. Meta announced the results on Oct. 13, 2026, and listed seven kinds of scams the networks ran. Below is each one, with the warning sign that gives it away.
The short version
A week-long operation hosted by the UK’s National Crime Agency took down millions of scam accounts and led to 28 arrests. The scams themselves are not new, so knowing how each one starts is still your best defense.
- Meta says it removed more than 3.7 million accounts, pages and groups from Facebook and Instagram.
- Police arrested 28 people, 19 in Ghana and 9 in Nigeria, according to the UK’s National Crime Agency, and 117 people who had been trafficked and forced to work in a scam compound in Ghana were rescued.
- Coinbase says it found more than 65 people being scammed at the time and stopped more than $415,000 in losses.
- The seven scam types range from fake investment friends to people who promise to recover money you already lost, for a fee.
- Watch out: removed accounts can be replaced quickly, so the warning signs matter more than any single takedown.
What happened in the Meta scam crackdown
Starting Tuesday, Oct. 6, the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) hosted law enforcement and 15 tech companies at its London headquarters. The FBI, the US Department of Justice and other US agencies took part, along with police from Ghana, Nigeria, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and India. The companies named by Meta include Coinbase, Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, Starlink and Adobe.
Over several days they shared information about scam accounts, payment trails and the people behind them. According to Meta’s announcement, the results were:
- More than 3.7 million Facebook and Instagram accounts, pages and groups removed. Microsoft also suspended accounts linked to the activity.
- Leads on more than 30 suspected scam centers shared with police.
- 28 arrests: 19 in Ghana and 9 in Nigeria, according to the National Crime Agency.
- 117 trafficking victims rescued from a residential compound in Ghana, where Meta says they were held and forced to work for the scam operations.
- At least $11 million in funds that could potentially be frozen, according to FBI Director Kash Patel. Meta’s post does not say how much has actually been frozen.
The UK’s National Crime Agency confirmed the main figures in its own release on Oct. 14. It says the 28 arrests were 19 people in Sasaabi, in Ghana’s Accra region, and 9 in Delta State, Nigeria, and that the 117 trafficking victims are waiting to be returned to Nigeria. The $11 million was identified by the tech companies taking part; none of it has been reported as frozen yet.
Meta calls it the first joint disruption aimed at scam centers in West Africa. It says these centers are more spread out and less industrial than the scam compounds found in Southeast Asia.
The real shift: tech companies and police are now pooling what they see across apps, payments and borders. That makes life harder for scam networks, but it does not stop the next message landing in your inbox. The person on the other end is often working from a script, and the script is what you can learn to spot.
The 7 scams Meta found, and the warning sign for each
- Investment scams. Someone builds a friendship, a romance or a business contact with you, then brings up a “great” investment, often in cryptocurrency. Warning sign: a person you only know online starts talking about how much money you could make.
- Job or task scams. A fake job or simple online tasks (liking videos, rating products) that later require you to pay a fee or “top up” to get your earnings. Warning sign: any job that asks you to pay before you are paid.
- Law enforcement impersonation. Someone poses as the police or a government official and threatens you unless you pay. Warning sign: pressure to pay right now to make a case, a fine or an arrest go away.
- Military impersonation. A “soldier” overseas wins your trust and then needs money for leave, travel or a shipment. Warning sign: they can never video call, and every story ends with a request for money.
- Non-delivery scams. A seller takes your payment for goods or services that never arrive. Warning sign: the seller refuses any payment method that comes with buyer protection.
- Romance scams. A fake relationship built over weeks or months, followed by an emergency that only your money can fix. Warning sign: you have never met in person, and money comes up.
- Scam recovery. After you lose money, someone offers to get it back for an upfront fee, and takes that too. Warning sign: anyone who charges you first to recover stolen money.
Many of these start on social media or in a direct message and then move to WhatsApp, Telegram or email. Our guide on how to spot online scams and our checklist for spotting phishing emails cover the early signs in more detail.
What to do if a scammer has contacted you
- Stop replying and do not send money, gift cards or crypto, even if the person threatens you.
- Report the profile on Facebook or Instagram from the three-dot menu on the profile or message.
- Report the scam to the authorities. In the US, use the FTC’s ReportFraud site at reportfraud.ftc.gov. Elsewhere, report it to your local police or national fraud reporting line.
- If you already paid, contact your bank or payment app straight away and ask whether the payment can be stopped. Then check whether your email or password has leaked and change any password you shared.
What we don’t know yet
Meta has not said how many of the removed accounts were run by real people and how many were automated. Police have not published the names of everyone arrested or the charges they face, and it is not yet clear how much of the $11 million will actually be frozen or returned. We will update this story when the agencies involved release more detail.
