Friday, February 20,
2026 - Twenty-seven Kenyans are among 651 suspects arrested in a sweeping
international cybercrime crackdown that also led to the recovery of more than
Ksh 554 million.
Interpol announced on Wednesday, February 18th,
that the coordinated operation brought together law enforcement agencies from
16 African countries to dismantle transnational online fraud networks
exploiting victims through fake investments, mobile loan apps and digital
financial scams.
Dubbed Operation Red Card 2.0, the two‑month effort ran from
December 8th, 2025, to January 30th, 2026, targeting both
perpetrators and the technological infrastructure behind the schemes.
Investigators focused on organized criminal networks using
digital platforms to defraud victims across borders.
In Kenya, detectives arrested 27 suspects linked to
fraudulent investment schemes that relied on messaging apps, social media and
fabricated testimonials.
Victims were lured with promises of high returns from
supposed investments in global corporations, depositing as little as $50.
Manipulated dashboards and fake account statements showed
impressive profits, but withdrawal requests were blocked, trapping victims’
funds.
The crackdown extended across Africa.
In Nigeria, police dismantled a high‑yield investment fraud
ring and arrested six members of a cybercrime syndicate accused of infiltrating
a major telecommunications provider’s systems.
Authorities also shut down more than 1,000 fraudulent social
media accounts.
In Côte d’Ivoire, 58 suspects were arrested in a mobile loan
fraud operation, with 240 phones, 25 laptops and over 300 SIM cards seized.
Interpol reported that the scams caused losses exceeding USD
45 million, affecting 1,247 victims worldwide.
The operation also seized 2,341 devices and dismantled 1,442
malicious IPs, domains, and servers.
Interpol emphasized that intelligence sharing and digital
forensic training were critical in tracing digital footprints and dismantling
cross‑border networks.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
0 Comments