Interpol has announced the arrests of 75 suspected members of the “Black Axe” cybercrime syndicate as a result of an international law enforcement effort.
Codenamed “Operation Jackal,” the operation took place between September 26 and 30, 2022, in South Africa, and involved law enforcement agencies in 14 countries across four continents.
“Black Axe and similar groups are responsible for the majority of the world’s cyber-enabled financial fraud as well as many other serious crimes, according to evidence analyzed by INTERPOL’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre (IFCACC) and national law enforcement,” the agency said in a press release.
Two of the suspected fraudsters, who were arrested in South Africa last month, are believed to be responsible for $1.8 million in financial fraud.
As part of the operation the police intercepted €1.2 million in suspects’ bank accounts, conducted 75 arrests and 49 property searches. The police also seized 12,000 SIM cards that “provided new investigative leads for law enforcement, generating 13 analytical reports and allowing police to identify more than 70 additional suspects.”