Interpol busts major cybercrime centers in Africa, over 1000 arrested

Police in 19 African countries have dealt a major blow to cybercriminals behind ransomware, business email compromise, credit card frauds, and other types of scams that have affected more than 35,000 people and caused $193 million in financial losses worldwide.

Interpol and Afripol conducted a joint operation against cybercrime, dubbed Serengeti, between September 2nd and October 31st. Authorities arrested 1,006 suspects and dismantled 134,089 malicious infrastructures and networks.

The most arrests, 150, were made in Angola, where investigators dismantled an international criminal group running a virtual casino in Luanda. The gang primarily targeted Brazilian and Nigerian gamblers and defrauded hundreds through its online platform. The illicit casino offered a percentage of winnings to members who recruited new subscribers. Officers seized 200 computers and more than 100 mobile phones.

In Kenya, officers arrested nearly two dozen suspects and cracked an online credit card fraud case linked to losses of $8.6 million. The group stole money by altering the banking system’s security protocols and running fraudulent scripts. The group promptly sent the stolen funds using SWIFT to companies in the UAE, Nigeria, and China, then redirected them to financial services firms regulated in multiple countries.

In Senegal, authorities dismantled a $6 million online Ponzi scheme that defrauded 1,811 victims. Eight people, including five Chinese nationals, were arrested, and a search of their apartment uncovered over 900 SIM cards, $11,000 in cash, phones, laptops, and copies of victims’ ID cards.

Nigerian police arrested a man suspected of running online investment scams that earned upwards of $300,000. The scammer lured victims through messaging platforms with false promises of cryptocurrency returns.

In Cameroon, authorities put a stop to a human trafficking scheme. The gang lured victims from seven countries to run a multi-level marketing scam. After paying a “membership fee,” victims were promised employment opportunities or training. But once in Cameroon, they were held captive and obliged to lure other victims into the scheme to regain their freedom. Police assess that the group pocketed at least $150,000 in fees.

“From multi-level marketing scams to credit card fraud on an industrial scale, the increasing volume and sophistication of cybercrime attacks is of serious concern,” said Valdecy Urquiza, Secretary General of Interpol.

“These arrests alone will save countless potential future victims from real personal and financial pain. We know that this is just the tip of the iceberg, which is why we will continue targeting these criminal groups worldwide.”

Other participating countries were Algeria, Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Mauritius, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The operation targeted the most significant threat actors and threats identified in the 2024 Africa Cyber Threat Assessment Report, such as ransomware, business email compromise (BEC), digital extortion, and online scams.

It involved private sector partners, including Internet Service Providers and companies like Cybercrime Atlas, Fortinet, and Group-IB. The partners shared intelligence and provided supporting analysis with the police. They also offered on-site support and remote assistance to patch vulnerabilities and secure critical infrastructure for the participating member countries.

Operation Serengeti was funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the German Federal Foreign Office, and the Council of Europe.