Operation Serengeti Disrupts $193m African Cybercrime Networks

Interpol has revealed details of its latest pan-African operation, which it said led to the arrest of 1006 cybercrime suspects and dismantling of 134,089 pieces of malicious infrastructure.

Running from September 2 to October 31, Operation Serengeti involved authorities across 19 African nations. It targeted cybercrime networks responsible for an estimated $193m in financial losses and 35,000 global victims.

Private sector partners assisted Interpol with on-site support in the form of intelligence sharing and help with patching vulnerabilities and other cyber-resilience efforts for critical infrastructure. The operation focused on ransomware, business email compromise (BEC), 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 Interpol secretary general, Valdecy Urquiza.

“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.”

Read more on Interpol operations in Africa: Interpol-Led Africa Cyber Surge II Nets 14 Cybercrime Suspects

Among the wins for law enforcers were:

• An $8.6m online credit card fraud case that was cracked in Kenya
• The arrest of eight, including five Chinese nationals, for a $6m online Ponzi scheme in Senegal
• The arrest of a man in Nigeria thought to have made $300,000+ from investment scams
• The arrest of a group in Cameroon suspected of trafficking victims from seven countries to run a multi-level marketing scam
• The dismantling of an international crime group and the arrest of 150 on suspicion of running a virtual casino in the Angolan capital of Luanda

Group-IB, which participated in the operation, said it received 19 requests for support. It provided intelligence to help crack investment-related scams, impersonation of government officials, phishing, pig butchering and online casinos. 

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