In a significant development under Operation Contender 2.0, authorities have targeted cyber-enabled crimes in West Africa, specifically focusing on a phishing scam that defrauded Swiss citizens of over $1.4 million. Cybercriminals impersonated buyers on small advertising platforms, using QR codes to direct victims to fraudulent websites mimicking a legitimate payment service.
From August 2023 to April 2024, Swiss authorities received around 260 reports related to this scam. The investigation traced the scheme back to Côte d’Ivoire, where the main suspect confessed to making illicit gains exceeding $1.9 million. Additionally, five accomplices involved in similar cybercriminal activities were arrested.
Separately, a suspect and an accomplice were apprehended in Nigeria on April 27, 2024, following alerts from Finnish authorities about a romance scam that had extracted substantial funds from a victim.
Neal Jetton, Director of the Cybercrime Directorate, emphasized the need for international cooperation in tackling these crimes, stating, “These recent successful collaborations demonstrate the importance of continued efforts to bring perpetrators to justice.”
This initiative aligns with recent actions by the U.S. Department of Justice, which sentenced Oludayo Kolawole John Adeagbo to seven years in prison for his involvement in a multimillion-dollar business email compromise scheme, defrauding various entities, including a North Carolina university.
Furthermore, Meta has announced a partnership with U.K. banks to combat scams on its platforms through the Fraud Intelligence Reciprocal Exchange (FIRE) program.