In a major cross-border effort, law enforcement agencies from seven African nations have apprehended 306 individuals and confiscated 1842 gadgets as part of an extensive international crackdown on cybercrime, specifically focusing on fraudulent activities and scams conducted online.

Known as Operation Red Card, this initiative was active from November 2024 until February 2025. It aimed at disrupting cybercrime organizations that bilked more than 5000 individuals via mobile banking fraud, fraudulent investments, and deceptive messaging apps, as reported by infosecurity-magazine.com.

In Nigeria, law enforcement apprehended 130 individuals, among whom were 113 foreigners, for their involvement in illicit investment scams and illegal online gambling operations.

Officials discovered that criminals channeled illegal funds into digital assets to hide their monetary tracks.

The investigations revealed indications of human trafficking, with certain people being forced to take part in the fraud schemes.

The authorities confiscated: 26 cars; 16 residences; 39 parcels of land; along with 685 electronic gadgets.

In Rwanda, authorities detained 45 people in 2024 who were behind a social engineering scheme that tricked victims out of over $305,000.

Fraudsters pretended to be telecom staff members and misleadingly told their targets they had won lotteries to obtain confidential data.

Some pretended to be hurt relatives asking for urgent financial aid.

The authorities retrieved $103,043 and confiscated 292 devices.

In South Africa, law enforcement apprehended 40 people and seized more than 1000 SIM cards, alongside 53 desktop computers and towers, all connected to an advanced SIM box scam operation.

This configuration enabled cybercriminals to mask international calls as local ones, making widespread SMS phishing campaigns possible.

In Zambia, authorities arrested 14 individuals who were part of a cybercrime group involved in malware attacks.

The perpetrators dispatched phishing messages with harmful links, which contaminated the victims’ devices and seized control over their messaging and banking applications. This allowed them to infiltrate financial accounts and propagate more fake links.

The operation was conducted via INTERPOL’s African Joint Operation against Cybercrime (AFJOC), an initiative aimed at aiding law enforcement agencies as they work to counteract cyber threats.

Under the AFJOC initiative, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office provided £2.6 million for Operation Red Card to boost Africa’s ability to detect and prevent cybercrimes, thereby enhancing law enforcement capacities across the continent.

The seven participating nations—Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Togo, and Zambia—are continuing their collaboration on intelligence-driven cybercrime investigations.

“The success of Operation Red Card highlights the effectiveness of global collaboration in tackling cybercrime, which transcends national boundaries and can lead to severe consequences for people and societies,” stated Neal Jetton, who leads Interpol’s cybercrime division.

The retrieval of substantial assets and equipment, along with the apprehension of major suspects, clearly indicates to cyber criminals that their actions will face serious consequences.