Law enforcement across seven African nations has made significant strides in combating cybercrime through a coordinated international operation named Red Card. Running from November 2024 to February 2025, this extensive campaign resulted in the arrest of 306 suspects and the confiscation of 1,842 devices, with the joint aim to disrupt cross-border criminal networks that inflict considerable harm on both individuals and businesses.
INTERPOL stated that this operation primarily focused on mobile banking, investment, and messaging app scams, which collectively involved more than 5,000 victims. The participating countries included Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Togo, and Zambia.
Neal Jetton, Director of INTERPOL’s Cybercrime Directorate, emphasized the importance of international cooperation in addressing cybercrime, which transcends borders and can have devastating effects. The successful recovery of significant assets and the arrest of key suspects send a clear message to cybercriminals: their actions will not be tolerated.
In Nigeria, police apprehended 130 individuals, including 113 foreign nationals, linked to online casino and investment fraud. Disturbingly, some of those involved in scam operations were reportedly victims of human trafficking, forced to participate in illicit activities.
Meanwhile, South African authorities arrested 40 suspects and seized over 1,000 SIM cards used in large-scale SMS phishing campaigns. In Zambia, 14 members of a criminal group were detained for hacking victims’ smartphones and gaining unauthorized access to banking applications via malware delivered through phishing links.
Rwandan officials arrested 45 criminals for their role in social engineering scams, which resulted in losses exceeding $305,000 in 2024. They used tactics such as impersonating telecommunications employees or family members in distress to extract sensitive information and access victims’ mobile banking accounts. So far, at least $103,043 of the stolen funds has been recovered alongside 292 seized devices.
The arrests follow INTERPOL’s recent announcement of a partnership with the African Development Bank to better tackle financial crimes, cyber fraud, and corruption in the region. Additionally, earlier in March, a collaborative effort by police in Thailand and Singapore led to the detention of a suspect linked to over 90 data leaks worldwide through SQL injection techniques and ransomware.
This comprehensive effort highlights not only the scale of cyber fraud but also the pressing need for continued international collaboration to combat these evolving threats.
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