In a significant multinational crackdown on cybercrime, INTERPOL, in collaboration with law enforcement agencies from seven African countries, recently launched Operation Red Card, targeting cross-border criminal networks causing considerable harm to individuals and businesses. Spanning from November 2024 to February 2025, this operation has led to the arrest of 306 individuals suspected of engaging in various cybercrimes.
Operation Red Card involved law enforcement from Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Togo, and Zambia and resulted in the seizure of 1,842 electronic devices linked to criminal activities. More than 5,000 victims were affected by the cyber offenses uncovered during the operation, which primarily involved mobile banking scams, investment fraud, SIM box fraud, and social engineering tactics.
Notably, Nigeria reported the highest number of arrests, with police apprehending 130 individuals, including 113 foreign nationals, for their involvement in online scams, including those targeting online casinos. The suspects were reportedly recruited from multiple countries and operated in various languages, further complicating law enforcement efforts.
In Zambia, law enforcement transgressed a syndicate of 14 suspects who were hacking into victims’ mobile devices. This scheme involved sending messages with malicious links that, when clicked, installed malware to gain control over victims' banking apps, significantly endangering their finances and privacy.
Rwanda's contribution to Operation Red Card included the arrest of 45 members of a criminal network that swindled victims out of over USD 305,000 in 2024. These criminals engaged in social engineering scams, such as posing as telecommunications employees to extract sensitive information and hatch fraudulent schemes.
South Africa also played a notable role, with authorities arresting 40 individuals and seizing over 1,000 SIM cards along with 53 computers associated with a sophisticated SIM box fraud operation. This setup, commonly exploited by criminals to reroute international calls as local ones, facilitated numerous SMS phishing attacks.
Kaspersky, a cybersecurity company, played a pivotal role in this operation by providing critical intelligence related to a malicious Android application that was actively targeting users in African nations. Yuliya Shlychkova, Vice President of Global Public Affairs at Kaspersky, remarked, “Kaspersky is proud to be part of this collaborative effort led by INTERPOL.” She emphasized the importance of joint efforts between public and private organizations to address the cybersecurity challenges threatening the region.
Neal Jetton, INTERPOL’s Director of the Cybercrime Directorate, emphasized the operation's success in demonstrating the power of international cooperation in combating cybercrime that transcends borders, noting that “the recovery of significant assets and devices, as well as the arrest of key suspects, sends a strong message to cybercriminals that their activities will not go unpunished.”
The joint efforts of multiple cybersecurity organizations, including Group-IB and Trend Micro alongside Kaspersky, fortified the operation. Their collaboration involved extensive sharing of intelligence that enriched the understanding of the threat landscape in Africa.
Moreover, INTERPOL disclosed that some of those arrested in Nigeria may themselves be victims of human trafficking, highlighting the broader social challenges intertwined with cybercrime in the region.
The fruits of Operation Red Card extended beyond just the arrests and device seizures; law enforcement also discovered 26 vehicles, 16 houses, and 39 plots of land potentially linked to the proceeds of crime. The total amount of money recovered was just over $100,000, a fraction of the total amount scammed, but significant in demonstrating proactive law enforcement engagement.
This operation is part of a broader series of initiatives undertaken by Kaspersky and INTERPOL aimed at improving cybersecurity resilience across Africa. Kaspersky has previously supported INTERPOL’s Africa Cyber Surge operations, reinforcing the necessity for continuous collaboration to adapt to evolving cybersecurity threats in the region.
In conclusion, the outcomes of Operation Red Card reflect not only the severity of cybercrime in Africa but also a growing commitment from law enforcement agencies to combat this issue collaboratively. The multifaceted approach combining intelligence sharing, arrests, and public-private partnerships illustrates an important step forward in fostering a safer digital landscape for individuals and businesses throughout the continent.
