INTERPOL nabs two Nigerian yahoo boys over $2.4m fraud, recovers $105m in Africa
INTERPOL Operation Leads to Arrest of 1,462 in Cybercrime Crackdown
The International Criminal Police Organization, commonly known as INTERPOL, has announced the arrest of two Nigerian internet fraudsters, alongside 1,460 people from various African nations, in a major operation aimed at dismantling cyber-enabled crime.
Dubbed Operation Serengeti III, this coordinated effort focused on combating a range of online criminal activities including ransomware attacks, business email compromise, and digital extortion. The operation resulted in the arrest of a total of 1,462 suspects across the continent and the recovery of over $105 million in illicit funds.
According to INTERPOL, investigators were able to disrupt 10,909 malicious networks, identify 65,929 victims, and trace criminal activities that resulted in estimated losses exceeding $385 million.
The operation involved collaboration among law enforcement agencies from 21 countries, which included 20 African nations and the United States. The African countries participating in the initiative were Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
In Nigeria specifically, authorities apprehended a suspect involved in a significant phishing and business email compromise scheme that collected software credentials and approximately 2.1 million email addresses. A luxury vehicle, believed to have been purchased with the proceeds of the criminal activity, was also recovered.
Additionally, a separate inquiry in Nigeria addressed an international investment fraud operation disseminated via messaging applications, leading to the arrest of another individual. Financial investigations indicated the movement of over $2.4 million in suspected illicit funds, with a significant portion laundered through cryptocurrency transactions.
In Uganda, police dismantled two transnational fraud rings and arrested 365 foreign nationals involved in online investment and pension fraud targeting victims in Asia. In Angola, law enforcement shut down two illegal cryptocurrency mining centers, resulting in the seizure of more than 2,000 mining devices and the arrest of nine suspects.
Support for the operation came from private cybersecurity companies, including Group-IB, Kaspersky, Fortinet, Team Cymru, and Meta, which provided critical intelligence on suspicious domains and infrastructure.
Neal Jetton, INTERPOL’s Director of Cybercrime, emphasized the global nature of these criminal networks, stating that they operate without regard for national borders and exploit technology to target victims on an unprecedented scale.
INTERPOL confirmed that investigations are still ongoing.
