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West African cyber mafia in the crosshairs of international police.
A large-scale international operation to combat organized crime and cyber fraud originating in West Africa has achieved impressive results. As Interpol reported on Wednesday, law enforcement officers detained 300 suspects on five continents. The
operation, codenamed Jackal III, was conducted from April 10 to July 3, 2023. During this period, law enforcement officers seized assets worth $3 million and froze 720 bank accounts suspected of being used for criminal purposes.
Isaac Oginni, head of the Interpol Financial Crime and Corruption Centre, expressed serious concern: "The scale of financial fraud emanating from West Africa is alarming and continues to grow." He stressed that it is only possible to counter the extensive criminal networks through the combined efforts of different countries.
The operation focused on the Black Axe group, a Nigerian criminal organization with a long history. Interpol describes Black Axe as one of the most influential West African crime syndicates operating on the international stage. The group is engaged in a wide range of illegal activities, including cyber fraud, human trafficking, drug trafficking and other serious crimes both on the African continent and beyond.
To carry out their fraud, the criminals used bank accounts all over the world. Law enforcement agencies in 40 countries are currently investigating money laundering by this group.
It is worth noting that back in 2021, American law enforcement agencies carried out a large-scale operation in Texas, detaining 33 people allegedly associated with this criminal network. The suspects were charged with a number of crimes, including hacking business correspondence, fraud against investors and illegal transactions with unemployment benefits. The investigation established that the attackers managed to steal and launder more than $17 million, deceiving at least a hundred victims.
Business email compromise (BEC) is considered one of the most devastating types of cybercrime. According to the FBI, from June 2016 to December 2021, the global damage from such attacks reached a whopping $43 billion.
The success of Jackal III clearly demonstrates how effective international cooperation can be in the fight against organized crime. According to experts, the results of the operation dealt a serious blow to the influence and capabilities of criminal structures, which should significantly reduce their ability to harm society on a global scale.
A large-scale international operation to combat organized crime and cyber fraud originating in West Africa has achieved impressive results. As Interpol reported on Wednesday, law enforcement officers detained 300 suspects on five continents. The
operation, codenamed Jackal III, was conducted from April 10 to July 3, 2023. During this period, law enforcement officers seized assets worth $3 million and froze 720 bank accounts suspected of being used for criminal purposes.
Isaac Oginni, head of the Interpol Financial Crime and Corruption Centre, expressed serious concern: "The scale of financial fraud emanating from West Africa is alarming and continues to grow." He stressed that it is only possible to counter the extensive criminal networks through the combined efforts of different countries.
The operation focused on the Black Axe group, a Nigerian criminal organization with a long history. Interpol describes Black Axe as one of the most influential West African crime syndicates operating on the international stage. The group is engaged in a wide range of illegal activities, including cyber fraud, human trafficking, drug trafficking and other serious crimes both on the African continent and beyond.
To carry out their fraud, the criminals used bank accounts all over the world. Law enforcement agencies in 40 countries are currently investigating money laundering by this group.
It is worth noting that back in 2021, American law enforcement agencies carried out a large-scale operation in Texas, detaining 33 people allegedly associated with this criminal network. The suspects were charged with a number of crimes, including hacking business correspondence, fraud against investors and illegal transactions with unemployment benefits. The investigation established that the attackers managed to steal and launder more than $17 million, deceiving at least a hundred victims.
Business email compromise (BEC) is considered one of the most devastating types of cybercrime. According to the FBI, from June 2016 to December 2021, the global damage from such attacks reached a whopping $43 billion.
The success of Jackal III clearly demonstrates how effective international cooperation can be in the fight against organized crime. According to experts, the results of the operation dealt a serious blow to the influence and capabilities of criminal structures, which should significantly reduce their ability to harm society on a global scale.