● Covered by 3 sources · 4 reportsMedium impact4 neutral
Operation Serengeti III Disrupts 11,000 Cybercrime Networks, Arrests 1,400 in Africa
Key points
- Operation Serengeti III ran from June 29 to August 31.
- 1,462 suspected cybercriminals were arrested across 21 countries.
- 10,909 malicious networks were dismantled.
- Over $105 million in illegal funds were recovered.
- 65,929 victims were identified.
- Victim losses exceeded $385 million.
- The operation addressed online fraud, ransomware, and business email compromise attacks.
- The United States participated in the operation.
- Uganda had the largest number of arrests, with 365 foreign nationals.
- Group-IB provided threat intelligence data to Interpol.
- Seven suspects were arrested in the investment scam crackdown.
- Over 100 servers were seized from a company providing fraudulent trading websites.
- Europol and Eurojust supported the operation.
- The operation involved Albania, Cyprus, Finland, Germany, Kosovo, and North Macedonia.
- The investigation began in 2022.
- Victims were identified in at least 50 countries.
- The company allegedly operated a 'crime-as-a-service' model from Cyprus and Israel.
Major Cybercrime Crackdown in Africa
Law enforcement agencies, in coordination with Interpol, conducted Operation Serengeti III across 21 African countries between June 29 and August 31. The operation focused on combating business email compromise (BEC), ransomware, and various online scams.
This initiative resulted in the disruption of 10,909 malicious cybercriminal networks and the arrest of 1,462 individuals suspected of cybercrime. The investigation identified 65,929 victims and estimated total financial losses at over $385 million, with more than $105 million in illegal funds recovered.
Key Operational Highlights
Specific actions included the dismantling of two transnational fraud rings in Uganda, leading to 365 arrests related to online investment and pension fraud. In Angola, authorities arrested nine suspects and seized over 2,000 devices from illegal cryptocurrency mining centers.
A significant arrest in Nigeria involved an individual suspected of running a large-scale phishing and BEC operation that harvested software credentials and amassed approximately 2.1 million email addresses. The operation also addressed malicious mobile lending applications, fraudulent vehicle imports, and cryptocurrency investment scams.
Collaboration with Private Sector
Private partners, including Team Cymru, Kaspersky, Group-IB, and Fortinet, provided crucial intelligence and technical expertise. This support included information on suspicious domains, IP addresses, and command-and-control (C2) infrastructure, which aided investigators in mapping criminal networks and identifying suspects.
Context and Previous Operations
Operation Serengeti III follows previous successful efforts. The first Operation Serengeti, conducted in 2024, resulted in 1,006 arrests, the takedown of 134,089 malicious infrastructures, and the recovery of approximately $44 million.
Updates
- Seven suspects were arrested in the investment scam crackdown.
- Over 100 servers were seized from a company providing fraudulent trading websites.
- Europol and Eurojust supported the operation.
- The operation involved Albania, Cyprus, Finland, Germany, Kosovo, and North Macedonia.
- The investigation began in 2022.
- Victims were identified in at least 50 countries.
- The company allegedly operated a 'crime-as-a-service' model from Cyprus and Israel.
- 65,929 victims were identified.
- Victim losses exceeded $385 million.
- The operation addressed online fraud, ransomware, and business email compromise attacks.
- The United States participated in the operation.
- Uganda had the largest number of arrests, with 365 foreign nationals.
- Group-IB provided threat intelligence data to Interpol.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
The daily brief
One email each morning: the day's tech stories, clustered across outlets and summarized. No account needed.
One email a day. Unsubscribe in one click, any time.
Today's brief
Spend a few minutes, get the whole day. Every topic's top stories in one hands-free rundown — listen, watch, or read the transcript.
▶ Play today's brief
New every morning, and the back catalogue is archived by date.
How outlets covered it
European law enforcement agencies arrested seven suspects and seized over 100 servers from an unnamed company providing fraudulent trading websites to criminal gangs. This action, supported by Europol and Eurojust, targeted a "crime-as-a-service" model that facilitated investment scams, leading to victims in at least 50 countries. The operation follows a four-year investigation into schemes that promised high returns on fake trading platforms.
INTERPOL's Operation Serengeti III, a coordinated law enforcement action across 21 countries, disrupted 10,909 malicious networks and led to the arrest of 1,462 suspects. The operation recovered over $105 million in illicit funds and identified 65,929 victims, highlighting ongoing efforts to combat cybercrime infrastructure.
Interpol's annual cybercrime crackdown, Operation Serengeti III, resulted in 1,462 arrests and the seizure of over $105 million in illicit funds across 20 African countries. The operation disrupted more than 10,000 malicious computer networks and identified nearly 66,000 victims with cumulative losses exceeding $385 million, addressing online fraud, ransomware, and business email compromise attacks.
Law enforcement agencies, coordinated by Interpol, disrupted nearly 11,000 cybercriminal networks and arrested over 1,400 individuals in Africa during Operation Serengeti III. The operation targeted business email compromise, ransomware, and online scams, leading to the recovery of over $105 million in illegal funds.