Security News > 2022 > October > Interpol busts global 'Black Axe' cyber-fraud suspects

Interpol arrested 75 suspected members of the Black Axe West African crime syndicate, and intercepted over $1 million in various bank accounts as part of a wide-ranging multi-country operation aimed at thwarting the group's cyber-fraud efforts that fund its criminal operations.

According to the international police agency, Operation Jackal spanned 14 countries on four continents targeting Black Axe and related crime groups in the region.

The agency said that Black Axe and the other groups are responsible for most of the cyber-enabled financial fraud around the globe.

The Carabinieri - Italy's state police - arrested three suspected Black Axe members in Campobasso as part of Operation Jackal, Interpol said.

Interpol gave a hint to the operation in late September when it tweeted the arrests of two men in South Africa for allegedly stealing $1.8 million through online scams.

Black Axe also tried to steal about $1 million through welfare fraud in Ireland in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Interpol.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2022/10/17/interpol_black_axe_fraud/