The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) has successfully performed a continent-wide performance of cyber crime in Africa, aimed at illegal cryptocurrency mining activities, heritage trams and fraudulent investments. Coordinated under the code name Serengeti 2.0, ran the three -month operation from June to August 2025, which led to more than 1,200 arrests and the recovery of almost $ 100 million in stolen funds and seized assets.
Operation Serengeti 2.0
According to Interpol’s press release On 22 August, researchers from 18 African countries, together with the United Kingdom and supported by partners in private sector, 11,432 malignant infrastructures linked to nearly 88,000 victims of targeted high impact online crimes, including ransomware, scams and business e-mail compromis (BEC).
In particular, the law enforcement agencies in Angola have closed 25 illegal cryptocurrency and building places operated by 60 Chinese nationals, while also recommends 45 unauthorized power plants that feed these activities. Moreover, officers also seized it and mining machines worth more than $ 37 million.
In the meantime, civil servants in Zambia have exposed a huge crypto investment fraud with 65,000 victims and $ 300 million in total losses. The operation led to 15 arrests, in addition to the seizure of domains, SIM cards and bank accounts coupled to the scam, which investors had promised considerably returns. It is remarkable that another Angel in Lusaka disrupted a suspected network for human trafficking, where 372 forged passports of seven countries were seized.
Interpol also reports that the Ivorian police have dismantled a cross -border inheritance shell that was believed to arise in Germany. Unsuspecting victims were misled to pay costs for fake defense claims, which yields around $ 1.6 million in illegal profits. In this case, the primary suspect was held, while the authorities have seized cash, jewelry and vehicles, among other things.
Responding to the successful Serengeti 2.0 operation, the secretary -general of Interpol, Valdecy Urquiza, emphasized the importance of cooperation in strengthening results:
Urquiza said:
Every Interpol-Coordinated operation builds on the last, deepening of cooperation, increasing information parts and the development of research skills in the Member States. With more contributions and shared expertise, the results continue to grow in scale and impact
Operation Serengeti 2.0 was performed under the African joint operation against cyber crime with other participating countries, including Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, etc. Meanwhile, private partners of this Operation TRM Labs, Trend Micro and Team Cyprru, among others.
Crypto -Market overview
At the time of writing, the global market capitalization of cryptocurrency is $ 3.95 trillion, which reflects an increase of 3.87% in the last 24 hours. The daily trade volume has risen to $ 157.12 billion, indicating an increased activity about the most important tokens. Market leader Bitcoin currently costs $ 115,811, while Ethereum trades at $ 4,700, both maintaining a strong momentum in the midst of wider market profits.
Featured image of Interpol, graph of TradingView
Editorial process For Bitcoinist is aimed at supplying thoroughly investigated, accurate and unbiased content. We maintain strict sourcing standards and every page undergoes diligent assessment by our team of top technology -experts and seasoned editors. This process ensures the integrity, relevance and value of our content for our readers.
#Interpol #arrests #involved #illegal #crypto #construction #investment #scam #Bitcoinist.com