Operation Serengeti, led by Interpol and Afripol, the police organization of the African Union, targeted online fraudsters. The arrests took place in 19 countries between September and October- announced Interpol.
Operation Serengeti targeted individuals suspected of cybercrime, including those using ransomware, digital blackmail, online fraud and phishing. According to Interpol, more than 35,000 victims have been identified and the cases have resulted in nearly $193 million in financial losses worldwide. “From multi-level marketing fraud to industrial-scale credit card fraud, the growing volume and sophistication of cybercrime attacks is a cause for serious concern,” said Interpol Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza.
Kenyan police have arrested nearly two dozen people linked to an $8.6 million credit card fraud, according to Interpol’s report on the operation. Eight people, including five Chinese nationals, have been arrested in Senegal on charges related to an online pyramid scheme that claimed more than 1,800 victims. And Nigerian authorities have arrested a man suspected of masterminding online cryptocurrency investment scams that are believed to have benefited from more than $300,000.
As part of the Interpol operation, the Cameroonian authorities also arrested a group suspected of human trafficking from seven countries; according to Interpol’s statement, the victims were coerced by this group into a multi-level marketing scam. Trafficked victims were lured with the promise of job opportunities, but were detained in Cameroon and forced to lure others into the system in order to gain their freedom.
Many who work in online scams are victims of human trafficking, according to a UN report. Earlier this month, Interpol officials discovered several other cases in Africa in which trafficking victims suffered “physical and psychological abuse” and were forced to work in pyramid schemes. “Cybercrime is one of the biggest challenges facing the world”, – wrote the researchers of the World Cyber Crime Index – “according to the most reasonable estimates, the costs are in the order of hundreds of millions, but according to the highest estimates, the estimates are in the order of trillions”.
Some cyber-based extortion incidents have even led to death. Others have used artificial intelligence to pose as uniformed and deployed soldiers and prey on lonely victims looking for romance for money. According to the World Cybercrime Index, the majority of cybercrime originates from Russia, Ukraine, China, the United States and Nigeria. “Operation Serengeti shows what we can achieve by working together,” Urquiza said. “We know this is just the tip of the iceberg, so we will continue to target these criminal groups around the world.”
Source: sg.hu
