Six suspected scammers targeting UK victims from a Nigerian compound have been arrested following joint working between the National Crime Agency, Nigerian Police Force and Meta.

The men, aged between 20 and 34, were arrested in Asaba, Delta State on 4 July by the Nigerian Police Force (NPF). Officers from the NPF seized 11 mobile phones, a laptop and a tablet which were allegedly used during the fraud, as well as a Mercedes-Benz GLK SUV.

The suspects are believed to have been operating a scam centre where they pretended to be internationally recognised celebrities to defraud victims around the world, including in the UK.

The National Crime Agency worked closely with partners at Meta who provided information that helped locate the suspects behind the scams, leading to the arrests last week.

The Inspector General of Nigerian Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, visited the NCA on Monday where he met with senior NCA representatives to discuss partnership working against fraud in Nigeria and this recent successful enforcement action.

Nick Sharp, Deputy Director of Fraud at the National Crime Agency, said:

"As these arrests show, fraud is not confined to national borders and criminals operating online will exploit technology to target victims in different countries.

"Cooperation between international law enforcement agencies and industry is vital to achieve justice for victims. The UK and Nigeria signed a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding in April 2025 to combat transnational cybercrime, fraud and financial crime and this action is the latest of increasing examples of the NCA and UK law enforcement working with partners to protect the UK public from fraud.

"The damage these scams can cause, both financially and emotionally, is long lasting and we are committed to protecting the public from fraudsters, wherever they are based."

Lord Hanson, Minister for Fraud, said:

"I pay tribute to the work of the National Crime Agency which has led to the arrest of these callous fraudsters targeting British citizens."

"Fraud is a global crime with no respect for national borders. We will only be able to tackle this threat by working together internationally, across law enforcement and industry.

"That is why at the Global Fraud Summit in March we launched a new taskforce which brings together all of these partners to disrupt and dismantle fraud networks worldwide."

Chris Sonderby, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Meta, said:

"Protecting people from criminal scams requires sustained cooperation across borders and industry.

"These arrests demonstrate that Meta's strong law enforcement partnerships are helping to drive real world consequences for the bad actors behind these organized scam networks.

"We're proud to work alongside the National Crime Agency and Nigerian Police Force to identify and disrupt this activity at its source, and we will continue to collaborate with our partners to keep people safe."

Protect yourself from impersonation fraud:

• Stop and think before sharing your money or personal information
• Never share your PIN, password or one-time passcode
• Be wary of unsolicited contact, even from someone who appears to know your details
• If you suspect fraud, end contact immediately and call the organisation back using a trusted number

Anyone who thinks they may have been a victim of fraud should report this to Report Fraud at https://www.reportfraud.police.uk/

16 July 2026