International Phishing Ring Dismantled in Major Interpol Sweep

Interpol has announced the arrest of eight suspects in connection with a significant phishing ring and a romance fraud scheme. The apprehensions, made in Côte d'Ivoire and Nigeria, were part of Operation Contender 2.0, a law enforcement effort aimed at dismantling cyber-enabled criminal networks in West Africa.

Perpetrators Used Rogue QR Codes on Fake Payment Platforms

Operation Contender 2.0 recorded several significant achievements, including the dismantling of a large-scale phishing scam targeting Swiss citizens. Threat actors masquerading as buyers on small advertisement websites tricked victims into providing sensitive personal details by weaponizing QR codes.

When scanned, these codes would redirect victims to rogue websites that closely resembled legitimate payment platforms. Victims would unwittingly provide their credentials and payment card details.

To further the illusion of legitimacy, perpetrators also impersonated customer service reps from the fake platform in follow-up phone calls.

Phishing Scam Recorded Over $1.4 Million in Financial Losses

The scam ran from August 2023 to April 2024 inflicting more than $1.4 million in losses, with over 260 related reports received by Swiss authorities. The sheer number of reports triggered the transnational investigation that ultimately led to the arrest of six suspects in Côte d'Ivoire.

According to Interpol’s press release, the prime suspect admitted guilt and said he made over $1.9 million in illicit gains from the scheme.

Authorities are now analyzing devices seized during the raid to identify other victims and stolen assets.

Two Others Arrested for Alleged Romance Scam Involvement

In another significant development, Nigerian authorities, acting on intelligence from Finland via Interpol, arrested a suspect and an accomplice on April 27 for their alleged involvement in a romance fraud scheme.

In romance scams, threat actors prey on vulnerable individuals, specifically people looking for relationships through online dating services and social media. Unfortunately, this type of scam is highly lucrative and often results in devastating financial losses.

Protecting Against Scams

Unfortunately, online scams have surged in frequency and sophistication in recent years, with threat actors exploiting unsuspecting victims across various platforms, including phishing websites, fraudulent emails, and fake social media profiles.

On the bright side, specialized tools like Bitdefender’s Scamio can provide a critical line of defense, helping users identify rogue websites, scammy messages, and other online threats effectively.

By providing Scamio with pieces of conversations, emails, URLs, messages, images, QR codes, or even described scenarios, users can receive an instant assessment of whether a situation is likely a scam.

Scamio is free and available on Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and your web browser. You can also help others stay safe by sharing Scamio with them in France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Romania, Australia and the UK.