INTERPOL has blocked more than 720 bank accounts linked to online financial fraud in West Africa.Â
This action was part of Operation Jackal III, which ran from April 10 to July 3 and targeted West African groups involved in online financial fraud.
The operation spanned 21 countries across five continents, leading to hundreds of arrests and the seizure of assets worth $3 million.
INTERPOL worked with Portuguese criminal police to dismantle a Nigerian network involved in recruiting money mules and laundering money from online financial fraud across Europe, identifying over 25 syndicate members.
In Argentina, INTERPOL broke up a Nigerian-led transnational criminal network, seizing $1.2 million in counterfeit banknotes, arresting 72 suspects, and freezing about 100 bank accounts.
Over 160 fraud victims suffered significant financial losses, with some forced to sell their homes or take out large loans.
Isaac Oginni, Director of INTERPOL’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, emphasized the importance of international collaboration in combating financial fraud stemming from West Africa.
A similar operation, HAECHI IV, conducted from July to December 2023, resulted in 3,500 arrests and the seizure of $300 million worth of assets across 34 countries, including Nigeria and Ghana.
This operation targeted various cyber-enabled scams.
