Interpol arrested 1,006 suspects in Africa during a two-month operation to crack down on cybercrime that has affected tens of thousands of victims, including some who were trafficked, and caused millions in financial damage, the global police organisation said on Tuesday.
Operation Serengeti, a joint operation with Afripol, the African Union’s police agency, ran from September 2 to October 31 in 19 African countries and targeted criminals behind ransomware, business email compromise, digital extortion and online scams, the agency said in a statement.
“From multi-level marketing scams to credit card fraud on an industrial scale, the increasing volume and sophistication of cybercrime attacks is of serious concern,” said Interpol Secretary-General Valdecy Urquiza.
Interpol pinpointed 35,000 victims, with cases linked to nearly 193 million US dollars (£153.4 million) in financial losses worldwide, stating that local police authorities and private sector partners, including internet service providers, played a key role in the operation.
Afripol executive director Jalel Chelba said in the statement: “Through Serengeti, Afripol has significantly enhanced support for law enforcement in African Union member states.”
In Kenya, the police made nearly two dozen arrests in an online credit card fraud case linked to losses of 8.6 million dollar (£6.8 million). In the West African country of Senegal, officers arrested eight people, including five Chinese nationals, over a 6 million dollar (£4.8 million) online Ponzi scheme.
Mr Chelba said Afripol’s focus now includes emerging threats like artificial intelligence-driven malware and advanced cyberattack techniques.
Other dismantled networks included a group in Cameroon suspected of using a multi-level marketing scam for human trafficking, an international criminal group in Angola running an illegal virtual casino, and a cryptocurrency investment scam in Nigeria, the agency said.
Interpol, which has 196 member countries and celebrated its centenary last year, works to help national police forces communicate with each other and track suspects and criminals in fields like counter-terrorism, financial crime, child pornography, cybercrime and organised crime.
The world’s biggest – if not best-funded – police organisation has been grappling with new challenges including a growing caseload of cybercrime and child sex abuse, and increasing divisions among its member countries.
Interpol had a total budget of about 176 million euros (£146.7 million) last year, compared with more than 200 million euros (£166.7 million) at the European Union’s police agency, Europol, and some 11 billion dollars (£8.7 billion) at the FBI in the United States.
