INTERPOL has arrested eight individuals in Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria in a major operation targeting phishing scams and romance fraud in West Africa.
Known as Operation Contender 2.0, the initiative aims to combat cyber-enabled crimes in the region. One case involved a large-scale phishing scam aimed at Swiss citizens, resulting in over $1.4 million in losses. Cybercriminals posed as buyers on advertising platforms, using QR codes to direct victims to fake payment websites, where they stole personal information.
Swiss authorities reported 260 scam cases between August 2023 and April 2024, leading to an investigation that traced the crime back to Côte d’Ivoire. The primary suspect admitted to gaining more than $1.9 million, and five other individuals involved in cyber activities were also arrested.
In another instance, Nigerian authorities arrested two individuals in connection with a romance scam after Finnish police reported that a victim had been defrauded of a substantial sum of money. Romance scams typically involve scammers creating fake online personas to build relationships and steal from unsuspecting victims.
INTERPOL’s Neal Jetton emphasized the growing use of technology in cybercrime and the importance of global cooperation to tackle these threats. This operation highlights the success of international partnerships in disrupting cybercriminal activities.
The announcement follows a separate case in which a Nigerian-U.K. citizen was sentenced in the U.S. for his role in a business email compromise (BEC) scheme that defrauded a university of over $1.9 million. Additionally, Meta has joined forces with U.K. banks to combat scams through a new information-sharing program called FIRE.