Operation Serengeti: INTERPOL arrested 1,006 suspects in 19 African countries

Operation Serengeti: INTERPOL arrested 1,006 suspects in 19 African countries and dismantled 134,089 malicious networks.

A joint law enforcement operation by INTERPOL and AFRIPOL across 19 African countries, dubbed Operation Serengeti, led to the arrest of 1,006 suspects. The authorities dismantled 134,089 malicious infrastructures and networks.

“Operation Serengeti (2 September – 31 October) targeted criminals behind ransomware, business email compromise (BEC), digital extortion and online scams – all identified as prominent threats in the 2024 Africa Cyber Threat Assessment Report.” reads the press release published by INTERPOL.

The participating countries in the operation were 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, Zimbabwe.

The operation tackled ransomware, BEC, digital extortion, and online scams, the authorities identified over 35,000 victims causing USD 193 million in financial losses.

Kenyan authorities uncovered an $8.6M online credit card fraud, where stolen funds were redistributed via SWIFT to firms in the UAE, Nigeria, China, and digital assets platforms. Kenyan police arrested 20 individuals.

Senegal authorities arrested eight people, including five Chinese nationals, for a $6M Ponzi scheme affecting 1,811 victims. The authorities seized items included 900 SIM cards, $11,000 in cash, phones, and victim ID copies.

Nigerian authorities arrested a man behind a $300K crypto scam. In Cameroon, a $150K trafficking and MLM scheme was uncovered, holding victims captive. Angola dismantled a virtual casino targeting Brazilian and Nigerian gamblers, arresting 150 and seizing 200 computers and 100 phones.

“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. “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.”

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Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, Operation Serengeti)