'Operation Serengeti': INTERPOL Coordinated action against cybercrime across Africa

Authorities in 18 African countries have been cracking down on cyber criminals for weeks, arresting 1209 people. Victims also come from Germany.

In an operation coordinated by Interpol, law enforcement agencies from 18 African countries have dismantled almost 12,000 cybercriminal networks, arrested a total of 1209 people and seized almost 100 million US dollars. This was announced by the international police authority, which explained that the operation lasted from June to August. The operation targeted those responsible for "serious and impactful cybercrime", such as ransomware, online fraud and fraudulent emails to companies. The operation was dubbed "Operation Serengeti 2.0" and followed on from the operation of the same name last autumn.

Fraud with fake inheritances in Germany

Although this is one of the oldest forms of fraud on the internet, scams involving alleged inheritances continue to generate considerable profits, the police organisation explains. In Côte d'Ivoire, a network specialising in this type of fraud has been uncovered, which has specialised in Germany. Key suspects have been arrested and assets in the form of electronic devices, jewellery, cash, vehicles and documents have been seized. According to the report, the victims were tricked into paying fees to claim false inheritances. The losses are estimated at 1.6 million US dollars.

As Interpol explains further, 25 cryptomining operations were uncovered in Angola, in which 60 Chinese nationals illegally validated blockchain transactions to generate cryptocurrency. In addition, 45 illegal power sources and mining equipment worth more than 37 million US dollars were confiscated. The generators are now to be used to generate electricity in underserved areas.

In Zambia, an extensive investment scam was uncovered in which 65,000 identified victims are estimated to have lost a total of 300 million US dollars. According to the report, those affected were enticed to invest in cryptocurrency through excessive online advertising and were told to download several apps. A total of 15 people associated with this were arrested. Almost 400 forged passports from seven countries were also discovered in Zambia. A human trafficking network had been disrupted here.

Authorities from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, the Seychelles, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe were also involved in the operation, as was the UK. In the predecessor to the operation that has now been publicised, 1006 suspected cyber criminals were arrested between September and October 2024 and more than 134,000 criminal networks were dismantled. Interpol now explains that it was able to build on the experience of previous operations.

Francis Tawiah (Duisburg, Germany)

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