Over 300 arrested in international crackdown on cyber scams

Law enforcement agencies in seven African countries arrested over 300 suspected cybercriminals involved in mobile banking, investment and messaging app scams, according to a statement on Monday by Interpol.

In an international operation that stretched from last November to February, authorities from Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Togo and Zambia uncovered cross-border criminal networks that defrauded more than 5,000 victims.

In Nigeria alone, 130 individuals were arrested, including 113 foreign nationals, for their roles in scams such as online casino fraud and fraudulent investment schemes. These alleged criminals often used digital assets to conceal illicit proceeds, recruiting individuals from various countries to execute the schemes in multiple languages. Nigerian authorities reported that some of the suspects may have been victims of human trafficking, coerced into participating in these crimes.

In South Africa, authorities arrested 40 individuals linked to a sophisticated SIM box fraud operation. The scam, which reroutes international calls as local ones, is frequently used in large-scale SMS phishing attacks.

In Zambia, 14 members of a criminal syndicate were apprehended for hacking into victims' phones through malicious links. When clicked, these links allowed hackers to gain control of victims’ devices and access sensitive banking information.

During searches in various countries, authorities seized equipment and property from suspects, including vehicles, houses and plots of land.

According to Interpol, the operation was supported by private companies, including Group-IB, Kaspersky and Trend Micro.

In a separate statement on Monday, Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky said it assisted law enforcement by analyzing malware samples targeting users in African countries and sharing data on related infrastructure.

Previous research showed that in 2023, the African region had the highest number of average weekly cyberattacks per organization. Among the recent incidents targeting African countries was an attack on the government-run South African Weather Service (SAWS), which disrupted a critical service used by airlines, farmers and other stakeholders.

South Africa has also faced a barrage of ransomware attacks against its public institutions, including the country’s national laboratory service, Defense Department and Development Bank.