African authorities dismantle massive cybercrime and fraud networks recover millions

pLYON France In a sweeping INTERPOLcoordinated operation authorities across Africa have arrested 1209 cybercriminals targeting nearly 88000 victimsppThe crackdown recovered USD 974 million and dismantled 11432 malicious infrastructures underscoring the global reach of cybercrime and the urgent need for crossborder cooperationppOperation Serengeti 20 June to August 2025 brought together investigators from 18 African countries and the United Kingdom to tackle highharm and highimpact cybercrimes including ransomware online scams and business email compromise BEC These were all identified as prominent threats in the recent INTERPOL Africa Cyberthreat Assessment ReportppThe operation was strengthened by private sector collaboration with partners providing intelligence guidance and training to help investigators act on intelligence and identify offenders effectivelyppThis intelligence was shared with participating countries ahead of the operation providing critical information on specific threats as well as suspicious IP addresses domains and C2 serversppOperational highlights From crypto mining to inheritance scamsppAuthorities in Angola dismantled 25 cryptocurrency mining centres where 60 Chinese nationals were illegally validating blockchain transactions to generate cryptocurrency The crackdown identified 45 illicit power stations which were confiscated along with mining and IT equipment worth more than USD 37 million now earmarked by the government to support power distribution in vulnerable areasppZambian authorities dismantled a largescale online investment fraud scheme identifying 65000 victims who lost an estimated USD 300 million The scammers lured victims into investing in cryptocurrency through extensive advertising campaigns promising highyield returns Victims were then instructed to download multiple apps to participate Authorities arrested 15 individuals and seized key evidence including domains mobile numbers and bank accounts Investigations are ongoing with efforts focused on tracking down overseas collaboratorsppAlso in Zambia authorities identified a scam centre and in joint operations with the Immigration Department in Lusaka disrupted a suspected human trafficking network They confiscated 372 forged passports from seven countriesppDespite being one of the oldestrunning internet frauds inheritance scams continue to generate significant funds for criminal organizations Officers in Côte dIvoire dismantled a transnational inheritance scam originating in Germany arresting the primary suspect and seizing assets including electronics jewellery cash vehicles and documents With victims tricked into paying fees to claim fake inheritances the scam caused an estimated USD 16 million in lossesppValdecy Urquiza Secretary General of INTERPOL saidppEach INTERPOLcoordinated 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 victimsppPrior to the operation investigators participated in a series of handson workshops covering opensource intelligence tools and techniques cryptocurrency investigations and ransomware analysis This focused training strengthened their skills and expertise directly contributing to the effectiveness of the investigations and operational successesppThe operation also focused on prevention through a partnership with the International Cyber Offender Prevention Network InterCOP a consortium of law enforcement agencies from 36 countries dedicated to identifying and mitigating potential cybercriminal activity before it occurs The InterCOP project is led by the Netherlands and aims to promote a proactive approach to tackling cybercrimeppOperation Serengeti 20 was held under the umbrella of the African Joint Operation against Cybercrime funded by the United Kingdoms Foreign Commonwealth and Development OfficeppOperational partnersCybercrime Atlas Fortinet GroupIB Kaspersky The Shadowserver Foundation Team Cymru Trend Micro TRM Labs and Uppsala SecurityppParticipating countriesAngola Benin Cameroon Chad Côte DIvoire Democratic Republic of Congo Gabon Ghana Kenya Mauritius Nigeria Rwanda Senegal South Africa Seychelles Tanzania United Kingdom Zambia and Zimbabwe p