In a sting operation against internet scammers, Ghanaian police and security authorities detained around fifty Nigerians, according to a statement released by Accra on Wednesday.  

Information Minister Sam George stated that a nighttime operation on the capital's outskirts "resulted in the arrest of 48 suspected cybercrime operatives... believed to be Nigerian nationals."  

In addition to having a thriving fintech industry, Nigeria is notorious for its "Yahoo Boys," or online scammers.  

However, foreign scammers have also turned their attention to Nigeria; last year, a large-scale raid in Lagos resulted in the arrest of 792 persons, 148 of whom were Chinese nationals.

According to George's post on X, the 46 men and two women detained in Ghana are accused of engaging in "romance scams, online investment fraud, impersonation schemes, and illicit online gold trading."  

As part of reforms aimed at curbing environmentally damaging informal mining, Ghana has tightened gold trading laws this year, including limiting purchases by foreigners.  Online frauds have gained popularity among young people in Ghana who claim to have few other options for employment.  

In order to earn thousands of cedis in a matter of hours, Accra's tech-savvy youth turned to phishing scams and created phony internet storefronts, as reported by AFP earlier this year. 

Police found 39 cell phones, 54 laptops, and a Starlink internet equipment during the raid.

Source