2LT International News

DAKAR, Senegal: Interpol announced this week that a sweeping cybercrime operation across Africa has resulted in the arrest of more than 1,200 suspects and the recovery of nearly US$97.4 million.

The crackdown, known as Operation Serengeti 2.0, was conducted between June and August and brought together law enforcement agencies from 18 African nations alongside the United Kingdom. The operation targeted a wide range of online crimes, including ransomware, inheritance fraud, and business email compromise schemes, which collectively affected nearly 88,000 victims.

In Angola, authorities dismantled 25 illegal cryptocurrency mining facilities operated by 60 Chinese nationals. The raids led to the seizure of equipment valued at over $37 million. According to Interpol, the Angolan government plans to repurpose the confiscated machinery to bolster electricity distribution in underserved communities.

Zambia uncovered one of the largest schemes in the operation: a fraudulent online investment program that defrauded more than 65,000 victims of an estimated $300 million. The scam, built around the promise of high-yield cryptocurrency returns, relied on aggressive advertising campaigns. Victims were persuaded to download multiple applications to join the program. Police arrested 15 individuals linked to the scam and seized critical digital evidence, including web domains, phone numbers, and bank accounts. During the raid, investigators also disrupted a suspected human trafficking network tied to the operation.

Elsewhere, in the Ivory Coast, investigators exposed a cross-border inheritance scam that had originated in Germany. The scheme convinced victims to pay upfront fees to secure fictitious inheritances, causing losses of about $1.6 million. Interpol noted that despite being one of the oldest forms of internet fraud, inheritance scams remain a lucrative revenue stream for criminal groups.

Interpol stressed that the operation highlights the growing scale and sophistication of cyber-enabled crime. “Despite their age, some schemes like inheritance fraud continue to generate significant profits for organized crime,” the agency said in its statement.

With 196 member countries, Interpol is the world’s largest international police cooperation network. Headquartered in Lyon, France, the organization facilitates global law enforcement efforts in areas ranging from terrorism and human trafficking to financial fraud, child exploitation, and cybercrime.

The agency marked its 100th anniversary last year, but its work is becoming increasingly complex. Rising cases of cybercrime, online child abuse, and political divides among its members have posed fresh challenges to its mission.

Operation Serengeti 2.0 builds on last year’s initiative, which saw the arrest of more than 1,000 individuals involved in scams targeting around 35,000 victims. Interpol said this year’s results underscore both the persistence of online fraud and the growing importance of international cooperation to counter it.