Authorities in Africa made 574 arrests and recovered $3 million in a major crackdown on multiple cybercrime networks, Interpol announced.
As part of Operation Sentinel, law enforcement in 19 African countries dismantled business email compromise (BEC), ransomware, extortion, and other cyber-fraud rings that caused financial losses of more than $21 million.
In Senegal, a sophisticated BEC scheme was blocked before a $7.9 million illicit transfer was cashed out.
The fraudsters compromised a major petroleum company’s internal email systems and impersonated leadership to authorize the transfer, but the destination accounts were frozen before the funds could be withdrawn.
In Ghana, a financial institution’s critical services were disrupted by a ransomware attack that also resulted in the theft of $120,000.
The hackers encrypted 100 TB of data, 30 TB of which was decrypted after authorities created a decryption tool. Multiple suspects have been arrested.
According to Interpol, a total of six distinct ransomware variants were decrypted as part of the operation.
Authorities in Ghana also arrested 10 individuals, seizing 100 devices and taking down 30 servers, in a crackdown on a major cyber-fraud network that made over 200 victims across Ghana and Nigeria.
Through websites and mobile apps mimicking popular fast-food brands, the fraudsters collected over $400,000 in payments without making deliveries.
106 individuals suspected of being involved in extortion schemes and scams were arrested in Benin. Authorities also took down 43 domains and 4,318 social media accounts.
In Cameroon, law enforcement tackled a phishing campaign involving a vehicle sales platform. A compromised server was identified and bank accounts were frozen.
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