Three Ghanaian nationals, including Isaac Kofi Oduro Boateng (alias Kofi Boat), a man known as Agony and a close associate of Shatta Wale, along with two others have been arrested for their alleged roles in a $100 million fraud scheme involving Business Email Compromise (BEC) and romance scams.
The arrests, made on June 13, 2025, in Accra is part of a joint Interpol-FBI operation and follow a 2023 US indictment charging them with wire fraud and money laundering. A fourth suspect remains at large.
Kofi Boateng is accused of masterminding a cybercrime syndicate operating from Ghana between 2016 and 2023, using spoofed emails and forged letters to impersonate executives and defraud victims, including one business and eight individuals, of over $100 million.
The group also allegedly ran romance scams, targeting elderly victims with fake relationships to extract money for fabricated emergencies or investments.
Ghana’s Ministry of the Interior, following a US Embassy request, issued arrest warrants in March 2025.
The suspects were remanded by an Accra court on June 16, 2025, with extradition proceedings underway.
The crackdown, driven by years of FBI investigations and complaints from US victims, reflects heightened efforts to combat international cybercrime, with recent scrutiny on unexplained wealth in Ghana following the release of Hajia4Real from US custody on May 22, 2025.
