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<span>Cybercrime<\/span> <\/a> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> The takedown of the Nigeria-based international cyber gang including millions in seized assets and hundreds of blocked bank accounts. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/300-arrests-made-in-crackdown-of-west-african-cyber-fraud-group.jpg?resize=640%2C426&ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/300-arrests-made-in-crackdown-of-west-african-cyber-fraud-group-2.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/300-arrests-made-in-crackdown-of-west-african-cyber-fraud-group-2.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/300-arrests-made-in-crackdown-of-west-african-cyber-fraud-group-2.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/300-arrests-made-in-crackdown-of-west-african-cyber-fraud-group-2.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/300-arrests-made-in-crackdown-of-west-african-cyber-fraud-group-2.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/300-arrests-made-in-crackdown-of-west-african-cyber-fraud-group-2.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/300-arrests-made-in-crackdown-of-west-african-cyber-fraud-group-2.jpg?resize=252,168 252w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/300-arrests-made-in-crackdown-of-west-african-cyber-fraud-group-2.jpg?resize=506,337 506w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/300-arrests-made-in-crackdown-of-west-african-cyber-fraud-group-2.jpg?resize=1013,675 1013w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/300-arrests-made-in-crackdown-of-west-african-cyber-fraud-group-2.jpg?resize=1265,843 1265w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1013px) 100vw, 1013px\"><figcaption> This photograph taken in Lyon, eastern France, on September 5, 2023 shows the entrance of the International Criminal Police Organization headquarters, known as Interpol. (Photo by OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE\/AFP via Getty Images) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"26.280797809934\"><body readability=\"53.378006872852\"><\/p>\n<p>An international law enforcement operation targeting the sprawling West African organized crime and cyber fraud ecosystem led to 300 arrests, $3 million in assets seized and 720 blocked bank accounts, Interpol said Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>The arrests \u2014 made across five continents \u2014 came as part of Operation Jackal III, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.interpol.int\/en\/News-and-Events\/News\/2024\/INTERPOL-operation-strikes-major-blow-against-West-African-financial-crime?ref=metacurity.com\">Interpol said in a statement<\/a>, which ran from April 10 to July 3. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe volume of financial fraud stemming from West Africa is alarming and increasing,\u201d Isaac Oginni, the director of Interpol\u2019s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, said in a statement. \u201cThis operation\u2019s results underscore the critical need for international law enforcement collaboration to combat these extensive criminal networks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy identifying suspects, recovering illicit funds and putting some of West Africa\u2019s most dangerous organized crime leaders behind bars, we are able to weaken their influence and reduce their capacity to harm communities around the world,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The operation targeted \u201cBlack Axe,\u201d a Nigerian \u201cviolent mafia-style gang\u201d that\u2019s been operating for decades and conducting all manner of criminal activities, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-africa-59630424\">a December 2021 BBC report<\/a> that examined hacked documents linked to the group. Interpol\u2019s statement Wednesday described the group as \u201cone of the most prominent West African transnational organized crime syndicates,\u201d and said it engaged in cyber fraud, human trafficking, drug smuggling and violent crimes within Africa and globally.<\/p>\n<p>The network of criminals used bank accounts around the world to facilitate fraud, Interpol said, with ongoing investigations in 40 countries looking into suspected related money laundering activity.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. officials in 2021 arrested 33 people in Texas linked to the network and accused of business email compromise, investor scams and unemployment insurance fraud, <a href=\"https:\/\/therecord.media\/us-arrests-33-bec-scammers-linked-to-nigerian-crime-syndicate\">The Record reported<\/a> at the time. Suspects in that case were accused of stealing and laundering more than $17 million from at least 100 victims.<\/p>\n<p>Business email compromise, also known as BEC, is one of the most \u201cfinancially damaging\u201d forms of internet-enabled crimes, according to the FBI. International BEC-related losses between June 2016 and December 2021 totalled $43 billion, the bureau said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ic3.gov\/Media\/Y2022\/PSA220504\">May 2022 public service announcement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\" readability=\"1.1842105263158\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"8\">\n<div class=\"author-card__avatar\">\n<figure class=\"author-card__image-wrap\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-card__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/300-arrests-made-in-crackdown-of-west-african-cyber-fraud-group-1.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\" alt=\"AJ Vicens\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by AJ Vicens<\/h4>\n<p> AJ covers nation-state threats and cybercrime. He was previously a reporter at Mother Jones. 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{"id":4503,"date":"2024-07-17T12:45:51","date_gmt":"2024-07-17T17:45:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=81030"},"modified":"2024-07-17T12:45:51","modified_gmt":"2024-07-17T17:45:51","slug":"300-arrests-made-in-crackdown-of-west-african-cyber-fraud-group","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2024\/07\/17\/300-arrests-made-in-crackdown-of-west-african-cyber-fraud-group\/","title":{"rendered":"300 arrests made in crackdown of West African cyber fraud group"},"content":{"rendered":"