African authorities dismantle massive cybercrime and fraud networks, recover millions


LYON, France – In a sweeping INTERPOL-coordinated operation, authorities across Africa have arrested 1,209 cybercriminals targeting nearly 88,000 victims. The crackdown recovered USD 97.4 million and dismantled 11,432 malicious infrastructures, underscoring the global reach of cybercrime and the urgent need for cross-border cooperation.

Operation Serengeti 2.0 (June to August 2025) brought together investigators from 18 African countries and the United Kingdom to tackle high-harm and high-impact cybercrimes including ransomware, online scams and business email compromise (BEC). These were all identified as prominent threats in the recent INTERPOL Africa Cyberthreat Assessment Report.

Read more…
Source: Interpol


Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest cyber security news and insights delivered right to your inbox


Related:

  • Pakistan tests secret China-like ‘firewall’ to tighten online surveillance

    November 26, 2024

    Pakistan’s government has deployed Chinese technology to build what some senior officials familiar with the project are calling a new, national internet “firewall” that will allow authorities to monitor online traffic and regulate the use of popular apps with greater control than before. The project aims to upgrade the government’s web monitoring capabilities at the country’s ...

  • INTERPOL: Major cybercrime operation nets 1,006 suspects

    November 26, 2024

    LYON, France – Authorities across 19 African countries have arrested 1,006 suspects and dismantled 134,089 malicious infrastructures and networks thanks to a joint operation by INTERPOL and AFRIPOL against cybercrime. Operation Serengeti (2 September – 31 October) targeted criminals behind ransomware, business email compromise (BEC), digital extortion and online scams – all identified as prominent threats ...

  • Internet, mobile services disrupted in major cities, including Karachi, Islamabad

    November 24, 2024

    Communication services across Pakistan are hit by significant disruptions as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) gears up for its much-anticipated “do-or-die” protest in Islamabad. Major cities like Karachi, Islamabad, and Rawalpindi have reported interruptions in mobile internet and other services, causing inconvenience for residents and businesses alike. These outages are part of the government’s intensified security measures ...

  • UK: Prison layouts reportedly leaked on dark web

    November 23, 2024

    The Ministry of Justice has said it is aware of a data breach affecting prisons in England and Wales. Confidential prison layouts had been leaked onto the dark web in the past two weeks, according to The Times. A former prison governor told the paper organised crime groups could potentially use the information to smuggle drugs ...

  • Elon Musk to British MPs: I’ll summon you, actually

    November 21, 2024

    Elon Musk is beefing with British politicians again — and they’re not impressed. The X owner and Donald Trump ally brushed off a call from the House of Commons’ science and technology committee to answer questions on his role in riots that swept the U.K. this summer. Committee chair Chi Onwurah told POLITICO this week that ...

  • US charges five in ‘Scattered Spider’ hacking scheme

    November 20, 2024

    U.S. prosecutors unveiled criminal charges on Wednesday against five alleged members of Scattered Spider, a loose-knit community of hackers suspected of breaking into dozens of U.S. companies to steal confidential information and cryptocurrency. Martin Estrada, the U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles, said the defendants conducted phishing attacks by sending bogus but real-looking mass text messages to ...