Interpol has reported that eight suspects involved in cybercrime activities have been arrested in Cote-D’Ivoire as part of an international operation targeting fraudsters engaged in “large-scale” phishing attacks aimed at Swiss citizens.
The fraudsters utilized QR codes to redirect victims to fake websites imitating payment platforms, where they were prompted to enter personal information such as logins and bank card numbers. To gain the trust of victims, the criminals posed as buyers in advertisements or as support employees.
According to Interpol, over 260 individuals fell victim to the scammers between August 2023 and April 2024, resulting in total damages exceeding $1.4 million.
The main suspect, who allegedly organized the fraud and received over $1.9 million, was apprehended during the investigation. Additionally, five others involved in similar activities were arrested at the same location.
An ongoing operation is in place to locate other victims, retrieve stolen funds, and trace goods purchased with the stolen money.
These arrests were made as part of the Contender 2.0 operation, which began in 2021 with the goal of combatting various cybercrimes, including business email compromise (BEC) schemes, romance scams, and other financial crimes in the African region, particularly in West Africa.
Earlier this week, a Nigerian and British citizen was sentenced to seven years in prison in the United States for participating in a multimillion-dollar business email compromise scheme. The individual, known as John Edwards, attempted to steal more than $3 million from various organizations in Texas, including local authorities, construction companies, and colleges, and had already obtained over $1.9 million from a university in North Carolina.