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Interpol conducted Operation Sentinel , an international operation that resulted in the arrest of 574 individuals and the recovery of $3 million stolen through BEC attacks, fraud, and extortion.
The operation ran from October 27 to November 27, 2025, with the participation of law enforcement agencies from 19 countries. During this time, more than 6,000 malicious links were dismantled and the encryption of six ransomware variants was cracked. A BEC attack on an oil company in Senegal
was reportedly foiled; the attackers attempted to steal $7.9 million via a bank transfer. The accounts were frozen before the funds could be withdrawn. Ghana became the site of an investigation into a ransomware attack on a financial institution. The criminals encrypted 100 terabytes of data and stole $120,000. Experts analyzed the malware used in this attack, created a decryptor, and recovered 30 TB of data. Those involved in the case are already under arrest. International fraudsters from Ghana and Nigeria created fake websites for well-known fast food chains. Ultimately, the criminals swindled over $400,000 from more than 200 victims. Law enforcement arrested ten people, seized over 100 devices, and shut down approximately 30 hacker servers. One of the largest stages of the operation took place in Benin : 106 people were detained, 43 malicious domains were taken down, and 4,318 fraudulent social media accounts were closed. A car sales scam was uncovered in Cameroon . Investigators identified the compromised server and froze the attackers' bank accounts within hours.
[td]"Cyberattacks in Africa are becoming increasingly widespread and sophisticated, particularly those targeting critical sectors such as finance and energy," Interpol said.[/td]In addition to law enforcement, the private sector also played an active role in the operation. Specialists from Team Cymru, The Shadowserver Foundation, Trend Micro, TRM Labs, and Uppsala Security helped track IP addresses involved in ransomware attacks and fraud, as well as freeze criminal assets.
Sentinel isn't the first major INTERPOL operation in the region. For example, in August of this year, Operation Serengeti 2.0 resulted in the arrest of 1,209 cybercrime suspects. $97.4 million was returned to victims, and 11,432 malicious infrastructures linked to attacks on 87,858 victims were shut down.
The operation ran from October 27 to November 27, 2025, with the participation of law enforcement agencies from 19 countries. During this time, more than 6,000 malicious links were dismantled and the encryption of six ransomware variants was cracked. A BEC attack on an oil company in Senegal
was reportedly foiled; the attackers attempted to steal $7.9 million via a bank transfer. The accounts were frozen before the funds could be withdrawn. Ghana became the site of an investigation into a ransomware attack on a financial institution. The criminals encrypted 100 terabytes of data and stole $120,000. Experts analyzed the malware used in this attack, created a decryptor, and recovered 30 TB of data. Those involved in the case are already under arrest. International fraudsters from Ghana and Nigeria created fake websites for well-known fast food chains. Ultimately, the criminals swindled over $400,000 from more than 200 victims. Law enforcement arrested ten people, seized over 100 devices, and shut down approximately 30 hacker servers. One of the largest stages of the operation took place in Benin : 106 people were detained, 43 malicious domains were taken down, and 4,318 fraudulent social media accounts were closed. A car sales scam was uncovered in Cameroon . Investigators identified the compromised server and froze the attackers' bank accounts within hours.
Sentinel isn't the first major INTERPOL operation in the region. For example, in August of this year, Operation Serengeti 2.0 resulted in the arrest of 1,209 cybercrime suspects. $97.4 million was returned to victims, and 11,432 malicious infrastructures linked to attacks on 87,858 victims were shut down.