Authorities across 19 African countries have arrested 1,006 suspects and dismantled 134,089 malicious infrastructures and networks thanks to a joint operation by INTERPOL and AFRIPOL against cybercrime.
Operation Serengeti
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.
Over 35,000 victims were identified during the operation, with cases linked to nearly $193 million in financial losses worldwide.
“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. 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,” said Valdecy Urquiza, Secretary General of INTERPOL.
National case studies
In Kenya, officers cracked a case of online credit card fraud linked to losses of $8.6 million. The funds, stolen through fraudulent scripts run after altering the banking system’s security protocol, were promptly redistributed by the group via SWIFT to companies in the United Arab Emirates, Nigeria, and China and, subsequently, to digital asset institutions offering trading and financial services regulated in multiple jurisdictions. Nearly two dozen arrests have been made so far.
Eight people, including five Chinese nationals, were arrested in Senegal for a $6 million online Ponzi scheme affecting 1,811 victims. Their apartment search uncovered over 900 SIM cards, $11,000 in cash, phones, laptops, and copies of victims’ ID cards.
Nigerian authorities arrested a man accused of running online investment scams. He is believed to have made upwards of $300,000 by luring victims through messaging platforms with false promises of cryptocurrency returns.
In Cameroon, authorities arrested a group suspected of trafficking victims from seven different countries to run a multi-level marketing scam. After paying a “membership fee”, victims were promised employment opportunities or training but once in Cameroon, they were held captive and obliged to lure others into the scheme to gain their freedom. Initial estimates show that the group had already pocketed at least $150,000 in fees.
Angolan investigators dismantled an international criminal group running a virtual casino in Luanda. The group, which primarily targeted Brazilian and Nigerian gamblers, defrauded hundreds through its online platform, offering a percentage of winnings to members who recruited new subscribers. Some 150 arrests were made, with officers seizing 200 computers and more than 100 mobile phones.
Operation Serengeti was carried out with funding of the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the German Federal Foreign Office and the Council of Europe.
