Operation Falcon II: Unit 42 Helps INTERPOL Identify Nigerian Business Email Compromise Ring Members
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INTERPOL crackdown on West African crime rings uncovers troubling new trend
INTERPOL's Operation Jackal IV arrested 58 suspects across 22 countries targeting Black Axe-linked West African fraud networks, flagging a rising trend of sextortion against minors.
Operation Jackal IV (November 2025 to June 2026) coordinated arrests across 22 countries against West African organized crime groups such as Black Axe, which INTERPOL links to a large share of global cyber-enabled fraud. Johannesburg raids on a romance and investment scam syndicate targeting retirees yielded $2.67 million seized, 257 bank accounts frozen and 39 arrests, while Argentina exposed a 196-member Crime-as-a-Service network with 17 arrests. Romanian police dismantled a call-center investment scam with roughly €143 million stolen and laundered, and INTERPOL warned these groups increasingly sextort minors as young as 14 and procure Crime-as-a-Service via the dark web.
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Operation Jackal: 58 Arrests Expose the Money Laundering Machine Behind Global Scams
INTERPOL's Operation Jackal IV made 58 arrests across 22 countries, disrupting Black Axe-linked networks laundering scam, BEC and sextortion proceeds.
INTERPOL's Operation Jackal IV (November 2025–June 2026) involved 22 countries and led to 58 arrests and 263 suspects identified tied to West African organized crime networks such as Black Axe. Key actions included 39 arrests in South Africa with $2.67 million seized and 257 bank accounts frozen, 17 arrests in Argentina against a crime-as-a-service laundering network, and a Romanian call-center investment scam with estimated global losses around €143 million. The operation also flagged rising sextortion of minors as young as 14 by these networks.
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58 Arrested In International Cybercrime Crackdown
Interpol's Operation Jackal IV arrested 58 people across 22 countries, disrupting Black Axe-linked money laundering and fraud networks and uncovering $166 million.
Law enforcement in 22 countries coordinated on Operation Jackal IV from November 2025 to June 2026, arresting 58 people and identifying hundreds of suspects, Interpol announced. Actions in Argentina uncovered a 196-person crime-as-a-service network providing domains and money laundering support to Black Axe, with 17 arrests there; South African raids in Johannesburg linked to romance and investment scams targeting the elderly led to 39 arrests and about $2.7 million seized. Romanian investigators found $166 million in stolen and laundered funds in electronic wallets controlled by a cryptocurrency investment scam call center, making 11 arrests and seizing about $379,000 plus properties and luxury watches. Interpol also flagged rising sextortion of minors as young as 14 via social media and gaming platforms.
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Interpol Operation Jackal IV Identifies 263 Cybercrime Suspects
Interpol's Operation Jackal IV produced 58 arrests and identified 263 cybercrime suspects across 22 countries in a coordinated crackdown.
Operation Jackal IV, coordinated by Interpol, led to 58 arrests and the identification of 263 suspects across 22 countries. The operation targets West African organized crime networks behind large-scale online and financial fraud, notably the Black Axe syndicate. The scale of international coordination underscores sustained law enforcement pressure on cyber-fraud networks.
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Interpol's Jackal IV Disrupts West African Crime Infrastructure
Interpol's Operation Jackal IV disrupted crime-as-a-service infrastructure in West Africa used by networks such as Black Axe.
Interpol coordinated Operation Jackal IV, an international law enforcement action targeting cybercrime infrastructure in West Africa. The operation focused on disrupting crime-as-a-service networks, including infrastructure supporting groups like Black Axe. Dark Reading's threat intelligence desk reported on the disruption of the criminal networks' operational capability.
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