A major international cybercrime sweep dubbed Operation Red Card has led to the arrest of 306 suspects and the seizure of 1,842 digital devices across seven African countries, INTERPOL announced.
The coordinated effort, which ran from November 2024 to February 2025, targeted cyber-enabled scams including mobile banking fraud, investment cons, and messaging app exploitation—affecting more than 5,000 victims across borders.
In Nigeria, 130 suspects—including 113 foreign nationals—were arrested for running sophisticated online scams such as casino fraud and fake investment platforms. Authorities revealed that scammers laundered proceeds using digital assets to evade detection. Notably, some suspects were identified as possible victims of human trafficking and coercion, suggesting a deeper web of exploitation behind the cybercrime operations. Seized assets included 26 vehicles, 16 houses, 39 plots of land, and 685 digital devices.
In South Africa, police dismantled a major SIM box fraud network, arresting 40 individuals and confiscating over 1,000 SIM cards and 53 computers. The fraud rerouted international calls as local ones and was linked to large-scale SMS phishing attacks.
In Zambia, 14 cybercriminals were arrested for a malware-based scam that hijacked victims’ phones via malicious links, enabling attackers to gain access to banking apps and messaging platforms to spread the scam further.
Rwanda saw 45 arrests related to social engineering scams, including impersonation tactics to extract sensitive information. Authorities recovered $103,043 USD and confiscated 292 devices, with total losses estimated at over $305,000 USD.
The operation is a strong signal of growing international cooperation against cybercrime syndicates in Africa, as law enforcement agencies ramp up efforts to safeguard digital spaces and disrupt criminal financial networks.