The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) has arrested 1,006 suspects in a massive crackdown on cybercrime spanning 19 African countries, the agency announced in a statement. The operation, dubbed Operation Serengeti, ran for two months, from September 2 to October 31, 2024.
The France-based police agency revealed that the cybercrimes had affected more than 35,000 victims globally and had resulted in financial losses of US$ 193 million.
Targeting advanced cybercriminal networks, the operation focused on crimes such as ransomware attacks, business email compromise schemes, digital extortion, and online scams.
“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 Secretary General of Interpol, Valdecy Urquiza.
The 19 countries included Algeria, Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Gabon. Others are Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
See also: Cyber-enabled crime in Africa on the rise
Interpol has credited the success of Operation Serengeti to its collaboration with Afripol, the African Union Police, and local law enforcement agencies. The two-month operation dismantled 134,089 malicious networks and recovered over US$43 million in monetary value.
Speaking to the Associated Press, Enrique Hernandez Gonzalez, Interpol’s Assistant Director of Cybercrime Operations, noted a sharp rise in cybercrime in Africa, with arrests surging from just 24 in the last two years to 1,006 during Operation Serengeti.
Major cybercrime arrests across Africa
The operation uncovered sophisticated schemes that spanned trafficking to online card frauds, demonstrating the evolving nature of cybercrime.
- Kenya: Approximately 24 individuals were arrested for their involvement in an online credit card fraud scheme that resulted in US$8.6 million in losses. The suspects allegedly manipulated banking security protocols and rerouted funds using SWIFT codes to offshore companies in the UAE, Nigeria, and China before then transferring the money to digital asset institutions operating in multiple jurisdictions.
- Angola: The authorities apprehended 150 suspects linked to an international criminal group running an online casino targeting Nigerian and Brazilian gamblers.
- Senegal: Eight individuals, among them five Chinese nationals, were arrested for operating a US$6 million Ponzi scheme that defrauded 1,811 victims.
- Cameroon: A group was uncovered trafficking victims from seven countries into Cameroon under false promises of employment. The victims were required to pay a registration fee but instead were then held captive and forced to recruit others into a multi-level marketing scam in order to secure their release. It is estimated the group raised at least US$150,000 in bogus registration fees.
Ambassador Jalel Chelba, the Executive Director of Afripol, stated that the agency is now prioritizing emerging challenges, including AI-powered malware and sophisticated cyberattack methods.
