Operation Contender 3.0, a significant transnational effort, was conducted between July and August 2025 to disrupt a large-scale digital scamming network. Led by Interpol, this crackdown involved law enforcement from 14 African countries and focused on two prevalent types of online fraud: romance scams and sextortion. In romance scams, perpetrators create fake emotional connections with victims to manipulate them into sending money. Sextortion involves blackmailing victims with explicit images or videos to extort payments. This operation marks the third time authorities have targeted these criminal organizations since 2021.
During the operation, police forces collaborated with two private sector organizations, Group-IB and Trend Micro, to identify key digital assets used by the scam syndicates. They uncovered IP addresses, digital infrastructure, domains, and social media profiles linked to the criminal networks. These digital leads were crucial in helping law enforcement pinpoint the locations of the scammers, resulting in coordinated raids across four key countries: Ghana, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, and Angola.
The raids revealed diverse and sophisticated criminal activities. In Ghana, investigators found that suspects used fake profiles, identities, and stolen images to deceive victims. They would then use elaborate schemes, such as charging fake courier and customs fees, to extract money. A similar network was exposed in Senegal, where scammers impersonated celebrities and used emotional manipulation on dating and social media platforms, defrauding 120 victims of approximately $34,000.
In Côte d’Ivoire, police dismantled a cybercrime ring that preyed on vulnerable individuals. The criminals created fake online profiles to manipulate victims into sharing intimate images. Once they had compromising material, they would blackmail the victims, demanding money to prevent the images from being publicly exposed. Similarly, in Angola, offenders were found to be using fraudulent documents to create fake identities, which helped them facilitate illicit financial transactions and conceal their true identities from victims.
Ultimately, the operation led to the arrest of 260 individuals and the seizure of 1,235 electronic devices, including USB drives, SIM cards, and forged documents. The investigation identified 1,463 victims across the four countries, with estimated losses totaling nearly $2.8 million. Furthermore, authorities successfully dismantled 81 cybercrime infrastructures across Africa, dealing a significant blow to these criminal networks and preventing further harm to potential victims.
Reference:
