Interpol has Announcement A suspected leader of an international cybercrime syndicate has been arrested in Nigeria The 37-year-old is accused of leading major phishing campaigns and business email compromise (BEC) schemes aimed at companies and individuals.
The operation was carried out through an African joint operation against cybercrime Recently established Within the agency’s cybercrime department, it has worked across four continents to arrest individuals. Launched in May 2021, the desk was created to empower 49 African countries to fight cybercrime. The initiative is funded by the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office.
The recent explosive rise in cybercrime has been described as a “parallel epidemic” of COVID-19. According to Cybersecurity Ventures, by 2025, there will be cybercrime Cost World Economy Annual 19.5tn USD.
Last May, a police operation known as ‘Delilah’ was launched in a collaborative effort by private partners including Group-IB, Palo Alto Network Unit 42 and Trend Micro. Law enforcement and industry stakeholders were brought together through INTERPOL’s Cyber Fusion Center.
Together, these professionals collected Intel on criminal activity and provided information to the Africa Desk, which later worked with police forces in Canada, Australia and the United States to track suspicious activity around the world. The private sector organization CyberToolBelt has provided ad hoc support.
Pay-off: A multi-continental mapping of a suspect’s movements as he travels from one country to another. The accused cyber-criminal leader has been arrested at Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos.
“This case underscores both the global nature of cybercrime and the commitment to a successful arrest from the world through a regional operational approach to cybercrime,” Bernardo Pilot, Assistant Director of Interpol, Cybercrime Operations, said in a press release.
“I hope the results of Operation Delilah will serve as a reminder to cybercriminals around the world that law enforcement will continue to follow them, and that these arrests will bring relief to the victims of the alleged propaganda campaign,” said Garba Baba Umar, assistant inspector general of the Nigerian police force. The head of Nigeria’s Interpol National Central Bureau and vice president of Africa for Interpol’s executive committee, in a press release.
The operation is a step forward in an internationally coordinated effort to tackle the growing global nature of cybercrime.