An ambitious crackdown spearheaded by INTERPOL has culminated in the apprehension of 1,006 individuals across 19 African nations, alongside the dismantling of a staggering 134,089 malevolent digital infrastructures. This large-scale operation represents a decisive strike against cybercriminal enterprises proliferating across the continent.
Codenamed Operation Serengeti, the meticulously coordinated campaign unfolded between September 2 and October 31, 2024. Its principal targets included cybercriminals orchestrating ransomware assaults, business email compromise (BEC) schemes, digital extortion rackets, and a myriad of online frauds.
The initiative spanned a diverse coalition of nations, namely Algeria, Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
These operations unraveled a tapestry of illicit activities ranging from large-scale credit card fraud and Ponzi schemes to elaborate investment cons and multi-level marketing deceptions. Collectively, the schemes victimized over 35,000 individuals and inflicted financial damage estimated at nearly $193 million globally.
One particularly notable arrest involved eight suspects, including five Chinese nationals, linked to a $6 million Ponzi scheme in Senegal. Authorities searching their residences discovered a trove of incriminating materials, including 900 SIM cards, $11,000 in cash, electronic devices, and identification documents implicating 1,811 victims.
Another operation dismantled an online casino in Luanda that targeted gamblers from Brazil and Nigeria. This platform manipulated victims by promising a share of fictitious winnings to users who recruited new members into the fraudulent system.
“The increasing scale and intricacy of cybercrime schemes, spanning from industrial-level credit card fraud to insidious marketing scams, pose a profound threat,” remarked Valdecy Urquiza, INTERPOL’s Secretary General. “Operation Serengeti underscores the power of collaborative efforts. These arrests mark a significant milestone, saving countless future victims from profound personal and financial suffering. However, we recognize this is merely the visible portion of a much larger problem, and our resolve to pursue these criminal networks remains steadfast.”
As part of the operation, cybersecurity firm Group-IB revealed critical findings, including the identification of approximately 10,000 distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) assaults originating from Africa-based servers within the past year. Additionally, over 3,000 phishing domains were uncovered, alongside valuable intelligence about threat actors disseminating stolen data on dark web forums.
Kaspersky, the Russian cybersecurity titan, played a pivotal role by providing actionable intelligence on ransomware operators, malicious software targeting African regions, and real-time indicators of compromise (IoCs) linked to the continent’s cybercrime infrastructure.
This sweeping operation exemplifies the extraordinary impact of global alliances in confronting the escalating menace of cybercrime, heralding a new era of transnational cooperation in safeguarding digital landscapes.
