More than one thousand (1000) cybercime suspects popularly known as online fraudsters have been arrested by Interpol from 19 African countries including Ghana.
The operation by Interpol dubbed ‘Operation Segrenti’ with the help of Afripol ‘African Union’s policing Organisation’ targeted individuals who engaged in online scams, ransomware, digital extortion and phishing schemes.
The arrest happened between September and October according to Interpol. Those targeted were identified as prominent threats in the 2024 Africa Cyber Threats Assessment Report by Graphic.com. Their operational methods include Business Email Compromise, online fraud, and similar tactics.
The other 18 African countries suspects were arrested include, Algeria, Nigeria, South Africa, Angola, Cameroon, Benin, Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Tunisia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Gabon, Senegal and Rwanda.
The operation uncovered that the suspects absconded with $193 million from over 35,000 victims globally.
Some also engaged in trafficking. As part of an operation in Cameroon, authorities arrested a group believed to engage in human trafficking. They were forced to run a multi level marketing scam, according to Interpol. Unsuspecting victims are lured into gaining employment by once they get into Cameroon where they are held captives, they are coerced to also lure others into the scheme to gain their freedom.
“From multilevel marketing scams to large-scale credit card fraud, the growing volume and sophistication of cybercrime is a serious concern,” said Valdecy Urquiza, Interpol’s secretary general.
About two dozen people were connected to a $8.6 million credit card fraud in Kenya according to Interpol. Authorities in Senegal apprehended eight suspects, including five Chinese nationals, who orchestrated an internet Ponzi scheme that defrauded 1,800 individuals.
Authorities arrested a man in Nigeria accused of perpetrating cryptocurrency investment frauds with gains of over $300,000.
According to a U.N report, many people who work as online fraudsters are trafficking victims. And they are subjected to physical and psychological abuse. Early in November, Interpol officials discovered victims forced to work in pyramid schemes.
Cybercime remains a big global challenge where millions to trillions of dollars are siphoned into ghost accounts. The World Cybercrime Index has identified China, Nigeria, the United States of America, Russia, and Ukraine as the origin of cybercrime.
Some online scams such as AI- driven impersonation schemes and romance have resulted in deaths.
