Coinbase joins London operation targeting West African scam networks
Coinbase joined a four-day London operation with the UK National Crime Agency and DOJ against West African scam networks; 28 arrests reported and about $11 million in crypto flagged for seizure.
Why it matters
Coinbase has put its own tracing and asset-freeze work on the record alongside named DOJ and National Crime Agency cases, which connects an exchange's compliance work to criminal investigations in two countries. The gap between the FBI's $17 billion campaign tally and the roughly $11 million attached to these raids shows that campaign-wide totals and single-operation figures are not interchangeable. Nothing in the reporting ties the operation to asset prices, trading volumes or market structure.
Where the sources disagree
Amount of cryptocurrency linked to the West Africa raids
around $11 million in cryptocurrencies flagged as potentially subject to seizure
Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
more than $10 million in fraudulent funds identified for seizure
Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
Two reports give different totals for the same crackdown, and neither confirms the funds as confiscated.
Scale of the underlying scam-centre campaign
$17 billion campaign tally reported by the FBI
Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
more than $580 million in cryptocurrency freezes and seizures over three months reported by DOJ's Scam Center Strike Force
Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
approximately 127,271 bitcoin, about $15 billion at that time, in U.S. custody in the Prince Holding Group case
Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
The FBI campaign tally, the strike force's narrower crypto figures and the Prince Holding Group case count overlap and are not directly comparable.
Company credited with identifying scammer identifiers and tracing the funds
Coinbase Global Intelligence team
Crypto.News
Chainalysis
Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
Coinbase says its investigators traced illicit activity and supported freezes, while another report attributes the identification of hundreds of scammer identifiers to Chainalysis.
Industry company credited with enabling the campaign
Meta, credited by US Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro
Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
Coinbase, for tracing illicit funds and supporting asset freezes
Crypto.News
One report credits Meta intelligence with helping investigators find key players, a different attribution from the Coinbase tracing work described elsewhere.
Key facts
Coinbase said its Global Intelligence team took part in Joint Disruption Week in London alongside Tech Against Scams, the UK's National Crime Agency, the US Department of Justice's Scam Center Strike Force and international law-enforcement partners.
Reported by Crypto.News
The operation ran from Oct. 6 to Oct. 9 in London and targeted the accounts, digital infrastructure and payment systems used by criminal networks operating in West Africa.
Reported by Crypto.News
Ghanaian authorities arrested 19 suspects and confiscated 303 devices, while Nigerian officials detained nine individuals and seized 53 devices.
Reported by Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
Officers in Ghana identified 117 trafficking victims who were forced to participate in scam activity and are now awaiting repatriation to Nigeria.
Reported by Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
Law enforcement flagged around $11 million in cryptocurrencies as potentially subject to seizure, though the funds had not been confirmed as fully confiscated.
Disputed figureReported by Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
Coinbase reported intercepting losses totaling over $415,000 and identifying more than 65 active victims linked to the scams.
Reported by Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
The FBI's Oct. 13 post credited its broader campaign with hundreds of arrests of alleged scammers, thousands of trafficked workers freed, coordination among more than 20 countries, more than 10,000 Americans warned, an estimated $670 million in losses prevented and a campaign tally of $17 billion that the post did not tie to any single period.
Disputed figureReported by Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
A Chainalysis post described the National Crime Agency crackdown as yielding hundreds of unique scammer identifiers and more than $10 million in fraudulent funds identified for seizure.
Disputed figureReported by Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
What happened
Coinbase said in an Oct. 13 post that its Global Intelligence team took part in Joint Disruption Week, a four-day operation held Oct. 6–9 in London with the UK's National Crime Agency, the US Department of Justice's Scam Center Strike Force, Tech Against Scams and international law-enforcement partners. Crypto.News reported that the teams went after the accounts, digital infrastructure and payment systems used by scam networks operating in West Africa, and that the schemes included fake crypto investments, police impersonation and staged arrests carried out over video calls. Crypto News, citing an FBI post of Oct. 13, said Ghanaian authorities arrested 19 suspects and seized 303 devices while Nigerian officials detained nine people and seized 53 devices, and that officers in Ghana identified 117 trafficking victims forced to take part in scam activity who are awaiting repatriation to Nigeria. The same account said law enforcement flagged around $11 million in cryptocurrencies as potentially subject to seizure without confirming confiscation, that Coinbase reported intercepting losses totaling over $415,000 and identifying more than 65 active victims, and that US Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro credited intelligence from Meta for the campaign. A separate Crypto News report gave a different amount and a different company for the same crackdown, citing a Chainalysis post that listed hundreds of unique scammer identifiers and more than $10 million in funds identified for seizure. Crypto News also reported that the FBI's $17 billion figure is a campaign tally covering an unspecified period rather than proceeds from these raids, and that the bureau's post does not separate cryptocurrency from other assets.
How the story developed
- First report
First report by Crypto.News
Coinbase joins DOJ and UK crime agency to target West Africa scams
- Update
London disruption week runs from Oct. 6 to Oct. 9
The four-day operation targeted West African scam networks and the services supporting them.
- Official statement
Coinbase says its investigators joined the operation
Coinbase said it traced financial activity, supported asset freezes and shared intelligence, and that investigative work remained ongoing with African law-enforcement partners.
- Official statement
FBI posts campaign-wide arrest and loss figures
The bureau's Oct. 13 post cited hundreds of arrests, thousands of trafficked workers freed, more than 20 countries coordinating and an estimated $670 million in losses prevented.
- Update
Earlier strike force seizure figures cited as context
DOJ's Scam Center Strike Force reported more than $580 million in cryptocurrency freezes and seizures over three months, which cannot be added to the FBI total without accounting for overlapping cases.
- Update
Chainalysis post reports hundreds of scammer identifiers
The post described more than $10 million in fraudulent funds identified for seizure in the National Crime Agency crackdown.
- Official statement
Ghana and Nigeria report arrests and device seizures
Ghana reported 19 arrests, 303 devices confiscated and 117 trafficking victims found; Nigeria reported nine detentions and 53 devices seized.
How coverage built up
Independent sources over time, counted the way the consensus panel counts them: a republication of a wire story does not move the line.
- 13 Oct 2026, 19:59 UTC: Crypto.News — 1 independent source, 1 reports
- 14 Oct 2026, 00:15 UTC: Crypto News (CryptoNews.net) — 2 independent sources, 2 reports
Affected entities
Also mentioned: Bitcoin, Tether USDt, India
Original sources
| Publisher | Report | Role | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crypto.News Crypto media | Coinbase joins DOJ and UK crime agency to target West Africa scams | Original | |
| Crypto News (CryptoNews.net) Aggregator | FBI Reports $17 Billion Scam-Center Tally as West Africa Raids Net 28 Arrests | Syndicated | |
| Crypto News (CryptoNews.net) Aggregator | West African Scam Networks Crackdown by National Crime | Syndicated | |
| Crypto News (CryptoNews.net) Aggregator | DOJ targets $11 million in crypto, arrests 28 in West Africa scam crackdown | Syndicated |
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