Police Arrests 300 Suspects Linked to African Cybercrime Rings
African law enforcement authorities have made a significant breakthrough in their fight against cybercrime, arresting 306 suspects as part of an INTERPOL-led international crackdown known as "Operation Red Card." This operation targeted cross-border cybercriminal networks and has sent a strong message to those involved in such activities that they will not be able to operate with impunity.
The arrest was made between November 2024 and February 2025, and it is part of a larger effort by INTERPOL to combat cybercrime globally. The organization said that the operation was successful due to the sharing of criminal intelligence between countries and the use of data from its private sector partners, including Group-IB, Kaspersky, and Trend Micro.
The seven participating countries in this operation were Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Togo, and Zambia. In each country, police arrested individuals linked to various types of cybercrime, including investment fraud, online casino scams, SIM box fraud, and social engineering scams.
In Nigeria, the police recently detained 130 individuals, including 113 foreign nationals, who were linked to investment fraud and online casino scams. These suspects allegedly concealed their illicit earnings in digital assets and operated from various countries, using multiple languages. Some of these workers may also be victims of human trafficking.
Similarly, in Zambia, police apprehended 14 suspects who formed part of a cybercrime gang that used malicious links to hack into victims' phones and control their messaging accounts and banking apps. This allowed them to spread scams through the victims' messaging apps.
In South Africa, police officers arrested 40 individuals and confiscated over 53 computers and more than 1,000 SIM cards used in a SIM box fraud operation that rerouted international calls as local ones. This facilitated large-scale SMS phishing attacks, which can have devastating effects on individuals and communities.
Rwandan authorities also detained another 45 individuals linked to a network involved in social engineering scams. These suspects defrauded victims of over USD 305,000 in 2024 by impersonating telecom staff and pretending to be injured relatives seeking financial help.
"The success of Operation Red Card demonstrates the power of international cooperation in combating cybercrime," said Neal Jetton, INTERPOL's Director of the Cybercrime Directorate. "It sends a strong message to cybercriminals that their activities will not go unpunished." This is the latest INTERPOL-led operation targeting cybercrime in Africa, following previous joint actions like 'Operation Serengeti' and 'Operation Africa Cyber Surge II,' which have resulted in multi-million-dollar operations being disrupted or dismantled.
"The recovery of significant assets and devices, as well as the arrest of key suspects, is a testament to the effectiveness of this kind of cooperation," Jetton added. This operation highlights the importance of collaboration between law enforcement agencies across borders to combat cybercrime effectively.