Nigerian authorities arrest suspects in multi-million dollar cybercrime operations

Nigerian law enforcement agencies have dismantled several cybercrime and money laundering networks involved in defrauding international victims of millions of dollars.

Under INTERPOL-coordinated Operation Serengeti III, two suspects were arrested in Nigeria for separate schemes. One individual is accused of a phishing and business email compromise operation that harvested approximately 2.1 million email addresses. A second suspect was linked to an international investment fraud scheme involving more than $2.4 million in suspected criminal proceeds, much of which was allegedly laundered via cryptocurrency.

Additionally, the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) arrested eight suspects in operations targeting online investment fraud, romance scams, and sextortion. Intelligence from the United Kingdom National Crime Agency helped trace a transnational network operating from Delta State that targeted victims in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. These suspects allegedly used synthetic identities and fraudulent websites posing as forex, cryptocurrency, and oil and gas investment platforms to solicit funds.