Between September 2nd and October 31st, another law enforcement action coordinated by Interpol and dubbed 'Operation Serengeti' led to the arrest of 1,006 suspects believed to be part of cybercrime links behind ransomware, digital extortion, business email compromise (BEC), and online scams. As part of 'Operation Africa Cyber Surge II,' launched in April 2023, law enforcement agencies from 25 African countries also disrupted over 20,000 cybercrime networks involved in extortion, phishing, BEC, and online scams, responsible for losses of over $40,000,000. In South Africa, police officers arrested 40 individuals and confiscated over 53 computers and over 1,000 SIM cards used in a SIM box fraud operation that rerouted international calls as local ones, facilitating large-scale SMS phishing attacks. "The success of Operation Red Card demonstrates the power of international cooperation in combating cybercrime, which knows no borders and can have devastating effects on individuals and communities," said Neal Jetton, INTERPOL's Director of the Cybercrime Directorate. African law enforcement authorities have arrested 306 suspects as part of 'Operation Red Card,' an INTERPOL-led international crackdown targeting cross-border cybercriminal networks. Zambian police also apprehended 14 suspects, part of a cybercrime gang that was allegedly hacking into victims' phones via malicious links that installed malware. Nigerian police recently detained 130 individuals (including 113 foreign nationals) linked to investment fraud and online casino scams.
This Cyber News was published on www.bleepingcomputer.com. Publication date: Mon, 24 Mar 2025 16:20:06 +0000