Interpol report: Nigeria leads Africa in cyber fraud and scams

• Interpol’s Operation Red Card led to 306 arrests crossed 7 African countries, targeting cyber-enabled scams specified arsenic mobile banking and concern fraud
• Nigeria recorded the highest fig of arrests, with 130 suspects, including 113 overseas nationals, linked to large-scale online fraud operations
• Authorities seized 1,842 devices, on with vehicles, properties, and ample sums of money, arsenic portion of efforts to dismantle cybercriminal networks

Nigeria has emerged arsenic the state with the highest fig of arrests successful Interpol’s latest cybercrime crackdown, which dismantled transgression networks crossed 7 African nations.

The planetary operation, known arsenic Operation Red Card, led to the apprehension of 306 suspects and the seizure of 1,842 devices betwixt November 2024 and February 2025.

EFCC has taken pugnacious measures to trim the surging complaint of Nigerians opting for cybercrime. Image: Getty
Source: Getty Images

According to Interpol, the coordinated effort focused connected cyber-enabled fiscal crimes, including mobile banking scams, concern fraud, and messaging app scams, which collectively affected implicit 1,500 victims.

The 7 countries progressive successful the cognition were Nigeria, Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Rwanda, South Africa, Togo, and Zambia.

Nigeria leads successful arrests and seizures

Nigeria recorded the highest fig of arrests, with 130 individuals taken into custody, including 113 overseas nationals allegedly progressive successful cyber fraud. Many of the suspects were linked to large-scale online scams, specified arsenic concern fraud and online casinos.

The EFCC, successful its relentless effort to rein successful crimes, has promised to beryllium rewarding whistleblowers. Image: FB/Official EFC
Source: Facebook

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had antecedently disclosed details of a large cognition successful December 2024, which exposed a syndicate of overseas nationals operating fraudulent schemes wrong Nigeria.

These criminals reportedly recruited young Nigerians, trained them successful assorted forms of net fraud, and provided them with the indispensable integer tools, specified arsenic computers and smartphones.

The cognition besides uncovered romance scams, cryptocurrency fraud, and fake concern schemes.

Interpol further revealed that immoderate individuals arrested successful Nigeria mightiness person been victims of quality trafficking, coerced into cybercrime operations.

Authorities seized 26 vehicles, 16 houses, 39 plots of land, and 685 physics devices arsenic portion of the ongoing investigation.

Rwanda, South Africa, and Zambia besides targeted

In Rwanda, instrumentality enforcement arrested 45 members of a transgression web specializing successful societal engineering scams.

These suspects were accused of defrauding victims of implicit $305,000 successful 2024 by impersonating telecom employees to bargain delicate banking details. The cognition led to the betterment of $103,043 and the seizure of 292 devices.

South African authorities apprehended 40 suspects linked to an elaborate SIM container fraud scheme.

Investigators seized implicit 1,000 SIM cards, 53 desktop computers, and different instrumentality utilized to person planetary calls into section ones—a maneuver commonly exploited for large-scale SMS phishing attacks.

Meanwhile, Zambian instrumentality enforcement arrested 14 suspects progressive successful telephone hacking and malware attacks. These criminals allegedly distributed malicious links via messaging apps, allowing them to instrumentality power of victims' devices, bargain banking credentials, and dispersed the scam further done compromised contacts.

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.

PAY ATTENTION: Сheck retired quality that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find the “Recommended for you” artifact connected the location leafage and enjoy!

Source: Legit.ng