Interpol’s Operation Serengeti 2.0: A Massive Crackdown on Cybercrime in Africa
The authorities in Africa have made a significant breakthrough in the fight against cybercrime, arresting over 1,200 suspects and seizing nearly $100 million in a comprehensive operation. According to Interpol, the three-month operation, known as Operation Serengeti 2.0, targeted online fraud networks and illegal crypto mining operations, affecting almost 88,000 victims in 18 African nations, in cooperation with Great Britain.
The operation, which was carried out with the help of international partners, discovered 11,432 malicious infrastructures, including investment fraud, ransomware, business email compromises, and online fraud. The investigators also found that the fraudsters had used various tactics to deceive their victims, including promises of high returns on investments in crypto platforms.
Major Seizures and Arrests
In Angola, the police closed 25 crypto mining centers operated by 60 Chinese nationals, which were found to be involved in illegal blockchain transactions. The authorities also seized 45 illegal power stations used to fuel the mining operations, as well as mining and IT equipment worth over $37 million. Officials stated that the confiscated power was being redirected to strengthen the power supply in endangered areas.
In Zambia, the authorities dismantled one of the largest online fraud programs in the region, which had persuaded over 65,000 people to invest in crypto platforms with promises of high returns. The estimated losses were around $300 million. The police arrested 15 suspects, seized fake documents, and froze bank accounts linked to the scheme.
In Côte d’Ivoire, the investigators dismantled a transnational inheritance fraud ring linked to Germany, where victims were made to pay fees in advance to claim invented goods. The authorities arrested the main suspect and seized cash, electronics, vehicles, and jewelry, with estimated losses of $1.6 million.
International Cooperation and Capacity Building
The operation was the result of months of intelligence sharing between Interpol and private sector partners, which provided data on suspicious domains, IP addresses, and command and control servers. Before the operation, law enforcement officials were trained on crypto tracking, open-source intelligence, and ransomware analysis. Interpol officers stated that the operation reflects a growing global effort to combat cybercrime through coordinated enforcement and prevention.
A new partnership with the International Cybercrime Prevention Network, which involves 36 countries, aims to identify threats before they escalate into criminal activities. The efforts were funded by the British Commonwealth and Development Office and brought together operational partners such as Group-IB, Kaspersky, Trend Micro, TRM Labs, and Fortinet.
According to the authorities, further investigations are underway, particularly in international financial and penalty networks behind the fraud schemes. The success of Operation Serengeti 2.0 demonstrates the importance of international cooperation in combating cybercrime and protecting victims worldwide. For more information, visit https://cryptoslate.com/interpol-arrests-1200-people-seizes-over-100m-in-crypto-busts-across-multiple-african-countries/
