More than 1,200 individuals were arrested and nearly $100 million was seized in a major cybercrime crackdown across Africa, as announced by INTERPOL on Aug. 22.
Operation Serengeti 2.0, which lasted three months, focused on almost 88,000 victims from 18 African nations, executed in coordination with the UK.
Authorities discovered 11,432 malicious infrastructures linked to ransomware, email compromise fraud, and scams related to online investments.
Significant arrests and seizures
In Angola, law enforcement shut down 25 illicit crypto mining sites run by 60 Chinese nationals who were fraudulently authenticating blockchain transactions. They seized 45 unlicensed power stations that supported the activities, along with mining and IT gear valued over $37 million.
Officials indicated that the confiscated power equipment will be repurposed to enhance electricity supply in underserved regions.
Meanwhile, Zambian authorities took down a major online investment scam, which lured over 65,000 victims to invest in crypto platforms with empty promises of high returns.
The estimated losses reached $300 million. Fifteen suspects were arrested, counterfeit documents were seized, and bank accounts linked to the fraud were closed.
In a different operation, law enforcement and immigration agents disrupted a human trafficking ring, confiscating 372 fake passports.
In Côte d’Ivoire, authorities broke up a cross-border inheritance fraud scheme traced to Germany. Victims were misled into paying fees to claim nonexistent estates. The main suspect was arrested, and authorities seized cash, electronics, vehicles, and jewelry, estimating losses at $1.6 million.
Training, prevention, and international collaboration
This crackdown was the result of several months of intelligence sharing between INTERPOL and private sector partners, who supplied data regarding suspicious domains, IP addresses, and control servers.
Prior to the operation, officers participated in training workshops focused on crypto tracking, open-source intelligence, and ransomware analysis. INTERPOL officials stated that this operation signifies a growing international effort to combat cybercrime through synchronized enforcement and preventive measures.
A new collaboration with the International Cyber Offender Prevention Network, which includes 36 nations, aims to identify threats before they escalate into criminal activities.
Supported by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, this initiative has united operational partners such as Group-IB, Kaspersky, Trend Micro, TRM Labs, and Fortinet.
Authorities reported that further investigations are ongoing, particularly focusing on the global financial and criminal networks that underpin the fraud operations.
