Interpol Bags 1,209 Suspects, $97m In Cybercrime Operation Focused On Africa

Interpol’s latest clampdown on cybercrime resulted in 1,209 arrests across the African continent, from ransomware crooks to business email compromise (BEC) scammers, the agency says.

Operation Serengeti 2.0 took place between June and August this year, and the global policing coordinator confirmed today that it seized $97.4 million gained from cybercriminal enterprises across the continent. 

About $37 million worth of equipment was recovered in Angola, where authorities shut down 25 cryptocurrency mining centers allegedly run by 60 Chinese nationals using illegal power stations to validate blockchain transactions.

Illegal power station established in Angola to support crypto mining – Credit Interpol

Interpol did not explain what it meant by illegal power stations, but these are known to be established in countries without the proper licenses, siphoning power from the national grid to mine cryptocurrency without paying for the substantial resources used to do so.

The seized equipment from Angola will be redistributed to support power delivery in vulnerable areas, it said.

However, the assets seized by police pale in comparison to the sums lost by victims of criminal enterprises in Zambia, which Interpol said exceeded $300 million.

Local authorities dismantled a large-scale crypto-investment fraud scheme, which claimed around 65,000 victims who were duped into handing over their money via broad advertising campaigns promising large returns.

Fifteen people associated with this scheme were arrested, Interpol said, and police seized related domains, mobile numbers, and bank accounts, which contributed to the wider operation’s total 11,432 infrastructure takedowns.

A separate investigation, also carried out in Zambia with the help of Lusaka’s immigration department, led to the disruption of another scam center and suspected human trafficking network. Here, 372 forged passports for seven different countries were also seized.

The Register asked Interpol for more information about this suspected human trafficking network, including whether it was connected to the trafficking of people to Southeast Asian scam compounds – another growing trend it has worked in recent years to quash. 

It responded: “We tend to highlight the most notable cases in our releases, typically those involving major arrests, significant financial losses, or large numbers of victims. ‘”That said, ransomware, malware, and business email compromise (BEC) cases were definitely a priority in Operation Serengeti 2.0. These were part of the 11,432 malicious network take-downs. Much of the intelligence on command-and-control servers came from our private sector partners, while national authorities decided how best to use that intelligence and where to focus their resources. In most cases, they concentrated on take-downs.”

Interpol told The Register that, in total, it had made “112 arrests across eight countries specifically linked to BEC schemes, with Zambia, Benin, and Nigeria accounting for about three-quarters of those.”

Officers in Côte d’Ivoire played a substantial role in Serengeti 2.0’s success too, first by arresting a key figure connected to a global inheritance scam that started in Germany.

Passports seized by Zambian authorities. Credit Interpol

With inheritance scams, cybercriminals reach out to victims claiming that someone has left them a sizable sum of money as an inheritance, and once they’ve got a victim on their hook, they ask for a payment to release the funds that never existed.

Suspected cybercriminals arrested after Angolan authorities dismantle cybercrime compounds. Credit Interpol

This operation racked up losses of around $1.6 million, but police recovered various assets such as electronics, jewelry, cash, vehicles, and other documents.

Valdecy Urquiza, secretary general at Interpol, said: “Each Interpol-coordinated operation builds on the last, deepening cooperation, increasing information sharing, and developing investigative skills across member countries.

“With more contributions and shared expertise, the results keep growing in scale and impact. This global network is stronger than ever, delivering real outcomes and safeguarding victims.” ®

Correction: Interpol will be redistribution $37 million worth of power equipment in Angola, not $37 million in cash.

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