Interpol arrests 306 cybercrime suspects across Africa – Nigeria tops list

• Interpol has confirmed the apprehension of 306 cybercrime suspects crossed 7 African countries successful an planetary crackdown connected integer fraud networks
• Nigeria recorded the highest fig of arrests, with 130 suspects, including 113 overseas nationals, progressive successful cyber scams and concern fraud
• Authorities besides seized thousands of devices, vehicles, and properties linked to cybercrime operations, arsenic good arsenic funds defrauded from victims

The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) has confirmed the apprehension of 306 individuals suspected of engagement successful cybercrime-related scams crossed 7 African nations.

The arrests were made arsenic portion of Operation Red Card, which ran from November 2024 to February 2025, targeting cross-border cybercriminal networks engaged successful mobile banking fraud, concern scams, and messaging app fraud.

it was discovered that galore arrested were victims of quality trafficking and forced into illicit schemes. FB/EFCC
Source: Facebook

Authorities from Nigeria, Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Rwanda, South Africa, Togo, and Zambia collaborated with Interpol, exchanging quality and receiving enactment based connected information from planetary instrumentality enforcement partners.

The cognition resulted successful the seizure of 1,842 physics devices and uncovered much than 1,500 victims of cyber-enabled fraud schemes.

Breakdown of arrests by country

1. Nigeria

Nigeria recorded the highest number of arrests, with 130 individuals taken into custody, including 113 overseas nationals.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) played a cardinal relation successful dismantling a blase cybercriminal web involving overseas nationals who were allegedly recruiting and grooming young Nigerians successful assorted types of net fraud.

Many Nigerian Youths person made careers retired of fraud.
Source: Twitter

The suspects were recovered to beryllium engaged successful online casino scams, concern fraud, and romance scams, often utilizing societal media to lure victims.

The Nigerian authorities besides discovered that immoderate individuals moving successful these scam centers whitethorn person been victims of quality trafficking, forced into illicit activities.

As a effect of the operation, instrumentality enforcement seized 26 vehicles, 16 houses, 39 plots of land, and 685 physics devices linked to fraudulent activities.

2. Rwanda

In Rwanda, 45 individuals were arrested successful transportation with societal engineering scams, which had reportedly defrauded victims of implicit $305,000 successful 2024.

The suspects chiefly operated by impersonating telecom employees to get delicate information, granting them unauthorized entree to victims' slope accounts.

Another communal maneuver progressive posing arsenic injured household members to solicit money for fake aesculapian expenses. Authorities managed to retrieve astir $103,043 and confiscated 292 physics devices from the transgression network.

3. South Africa

South African instrumentality enforcement officials apprehended 40 suspects engaged successful a blase SIM container fraud scheme. The criminals were reportedly converting planetary calls into section ones to transportation retired large-scale SMS phishing attacks.

Authorities seized implicit 1,000 SIM cards, 53 desktop computers, and different telecommunications instrumentality linked to fraudulent activities.

4. Zambia

Zambian authorities arrested 14 suspected members of a cybercriminal syndicate specializing successful hacking mobile devices.

These individuals utilized malicious links to instal malware connected victims' phones, yet gaining entree to their banking applications.

Once compromised, the hackers could power victims' messaging apps, further spreading the scam by sharing the infected links successful radical chats and idiosyncratic conversations.

Ongoing investigations and aboriginal actions

Interpol emphasized that the cognition was a important measurement successful dismantling cybercriminal networks that exploit individuals and businesses.

The bureau besides noted that investigations are ongoing to way down further members of these syndicates and retrieve further assets linked to illicit activities.

Law enforcement agencies crossed the 7 participating countries person pledged to intensify efforts successful combating cybercrime, ensuring stronger cybersecurity measures, and enhancing cross-border practice to forestall aboriginal attacks.

Interpol continues to enactment with its partners to safeguard individuals and businesses from the increasing menace of cyber-enabled fraud.

EFCC acceptable to spell aft “Yahoo boys” successful Nigeria

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said it is acceptable to enactment the effort to combat net scams.

This came aft hundreds of fraudulent Nigerian Instagram and Facebook accounts were removed by Meta. The societal media elephantine removed astir 63,000 fake accounts past summertime due to the fact that they were linked to the increasing fraud issue.

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Source: Legit.ng