Interpol, Afripol arrest over 1,000 cybercrime suspects in 19 African countries

A two-month cybercrime operation led by INTERPOL and the African Union Mechanism for Police Cooperation (AFRIPOL), tagged Operation Serengeti has led to the arrest of over 1,000 cybercrime suspects from Africa.

Nineteen countries in Africa, including Nigeria, Ghana, Mozambique, South Africa, Cameroon and Algeria, participated in the operation between September and October.

The others were Angola, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Mauritius, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Tunisia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

According to report from the Washington Post, more than 35,000 victims were identified during the operation, with cases linked to nearly $193 million in financial losses worldwide.

According to INTERPOL, Operation Serengeti clamped down on criminals who were behind ransomware, business email compromise (BEC), digital extortion, and online scams. These crimes were all identified as prominent threats in the 2024 Africa Cyber Threat Assessment Report.

Secretary General of INTERPOL, Valdecy Urquiza asserted that the volume of cybercrime attacks is of utmost concern.

“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.

“Operation Serengeti shows what we can achieve by working together, and 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,” said Urquiza.

In another of its operations, which spanned between April and July, INTERPOL arrested over 300 people who had links to Black Axe, one of West Africa’s most feared criminal networks and its affiliated groups.

INTERPOL identified over 400 additional suspects and facilitated the blocking of more than 720 bank accounts.

Ambassador Jalel Chelba, AFRIPOL’s Executive Director said:

“Through Serengeti, AFRIPOL has significantly enhanced support for law enforcement in African Union Member States. We’ve facilitated key arrests and deepened insights into cybercrime trends. Our focus now includes emerging threats like AI-driven malware and advanced attack techniques.”

National case studies

In Kenya, officers cracked a case of online credit card fraud linked to losses of USD 8.6 million. The funds, stolen through fraudulent scripts run after altering the banking system’s security protocol, were promptly redistributed by the group via SWIFT to companies in the United Arab Emirates, Nigeria and China and subsequently, to digital asset institutions offering trading and financial services regulated in multiple jurisdictions. Nearly two dozen arrests have been made so far.

Eight people, including five Chinese nationals, were arrested in Senegal for a USD 6 million online Ponzi scheme affecting 1,811 victims. A search of their apartment uncovered over 900 SIM cards, USD 11,000 in cash, phones, laptops, and copies of victims’ ID cards.

Nigerian authorities arrested a man accused of running online investment scams. He is believed to have made upwards of USD 300,000 by luring victims through messaging platforms with false promises of cryptocurrency returns.

In Cameroon, authorities arrested a group suspected of trafficking victims from seven different 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 others into the scheme to gain their freedom. Initial estimates show that the group had already pocketed at least USD 150,000 in fees.

Angolan investigators dismantled an international criminal group running a virtual casino in Luanda. The group, which primarily targeted Brazilian and Nigerian gamblers, defrauded hundreds through its online platform, offering a percentage of winnings to members who recruited new subscribers. Some 150 arrests were made, with officers seizing 200 computers and more than 100 mobile phones.

Operation Serengeti was carried out with funding of the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the German Federal Foreign Office and the Council of Europe.

The operational partners were Cybercrime Atlas, Fortinet, Group-IB, Kaspersky, Team Cymru, Trend Micro, Uppsala Security.

The post Interpol, Afripol arrest over 1,000 cybercrime suspects in 19 African countries first appeared on 3News.

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