Interpol announced Friday that authorities from 18 countries across Africa have arrested 1,209 cybercriminals targeting 88,000 casualties.
“The crackdown recovers $97.4 million, dismantling 11,432 malicious infrastructure, highlighting the global scope of cybercrime and the urgent need for cross-border cooperation,” the agency said.
The effort is the second phase of an ongoing law enforcement initiative called Operation Serengeti, which took place between June and August 2025 to tackle serious crimes such as ransomware, online scams and more. and Business Email Compromise (BEC). The first wave of arrests occurred later last year.
Among the highlights were the demolition of 25 cryptocurrency mining centres in Angola, where 60 Chinese citizens were involved in a scheme to make illegal money.
“The crackdown has identified 45 illegal power plants that have been confiscated, and mining and over $37 million in IT equipment have been allocated by the government to help distribute electricity in vulnerable regions,” Interpol said.
Elsewhere, Zambian authorities have abolished a massive online investment fraud business that claimed 65,000 victims who lost about $300 million after being invited to invest in cryptocurrency through an advertising campaign that promises high returns.
Fifteen individuals have been arrested in connection with the scheme, and authorities have seized domains, mobile phone numbers and bank accounts for further investigation. It is also confusing that there are fraud centres and suspected trafficking in South African countries.
Finally, law enforcement also tore apart cross-border inheritance fraud, which originated from Germany, arrested key suspects and confiscated electronic equipment, jewelry, cash and vehicles. The same is estimated to have caused a loss of around $1.6 million.
“Each collaborative operation is based on deepening cooperation, deepening cooperation, increasing information sharing and developing research skills across member countries,” said Valdecy Urquiza, Executive Director of Interpol. “With more contributions and shared expertise, results are increasing in scale and impact. This global network is stronger than ever, providing real results and protecting victims.”
Singapore Headquarted Group-IB said it provided “situational information” to cryptocurrency investment scams and provided details of infrastructure related to fraud and other BEC campaigns across the African region.
“Cybercrime doesn’t recognize borders and its impact is truly global,” said Group-IB CEO Dmitry Volkov. “The success of Operation Serengeti 2.0 shows what the nation can achieve when it opposes this threat.”
The disclosure comes as 102 foreigners, including 60 Chinese and 39, from the Philippines, were deported, according to the national Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The exiles were 792 suspected cybercriminals arrested in December 2024.
Earlier this year, law enforcement agencies from seven African countries also arrested 306 suspects and confiscated 1,842 devices as part of the international operation red card held between November 2024 and February 2025.
Source link
