The police have arrested six suspected fraudsters accused of targeting victims in the United Kingdom, following a joint operation involving the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) and Meta.

The suspects, aged between 20 and 34, were arrested in Asaba, Delta State, on July 4.

Police said they recovered 11 mobile phones, a laptop, a tablet, and a Mercedes-Benz GLK SUV allegedly used in carrying out the fraudulent activities.

According to the police, the suspects operated a scam centre where they impersonated internationally recognised celebrities to defraud victims around the world, including in the UK.

The NCA, working with Meta, provided intelligence that helped identify and locate the suspects, leading to their arrest.

On Monday, the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, visited the NCA and met with senior agency officials to strengthen cooperation in tackling fraud and other transnational crimes involving Nigeria.

Nick Sharp, the NCA’s Deputy Director of Fraud, said the arrests demonstrate how fraudsters exploit online platforms to target victims across national borders.

“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.”