Interpol has reeled in over 300 alleged scammers across seven African countries as part of an international operation targeting cyber attackers and scammers.
The cross-border police agency today revealed Operation Red Card, which ran from last November to February, “to disrupt and dismantle cross-border criminal networks which cause significant harm to individuals and businesses.”
The crackdown was particularly targeted at mobile banking, investment and messaging app scams.
It was “delivered” through the agency’s African Joint Operation against Cybercrime, which is funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. It drew on intelligence from private sector firms including Kaspersky and Trend Micro.
Over 1,842 devices were seized, Interpol said, while the operation involved over 5000 victims. The operations spanned the continent, taking place in Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Togo and Zambia.
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The largest number of arrests came in Nigeria, where 130 people arrested, 113 of them foreign nationals, for “alleged involvement in cyber-enabled scams such as online casino and investment fraud”. Some of the people carrying out the scams may be victims of human trafficking and were forced or coerced not criminal activities.
In South Africa, arrests focused on “a sophisticated box fraud scheme” which rerouted international calls as local ones. Interpol said this setup was typically used in large scale SMS phishing attacks.
The Zambia operation focused on a criminal syndicate which distributed messages containing a malicious link, which ultimately allowed attackers to seize control of victims’ phones, including banking apps.
Similarly, in Rwanda, the operation cracked a criminal network which used social engineering and fake jacking wins to gain access to victims’ mobile banking accounts. The ring had netted over $305,000 just in 2024.
Africa is a burgeoning market for tech. While the World Bank reported a 115% increase in Internet users between 2016 and 2021, it also says digital infrastructure coverage, access, and quality still lag other regions, while only 22% were using mobile internet services.
At the same time, mobile payment services offer citizens the chance to leapfrog the restrictions of traditional banking systems. But also offer increased opportunities for criminals too.
