Group-IB, a leading creator of cybersecurity technologies to investigate, prevent, and fight digital crime, announced today that it has contributed important data and intelligence to INTERPOL, as part of an ongoing initiative code named “Operation Contender 2.0”. The international operation, led by INTERPOL, resulted in the arrest of two individuals by the Nigerian Police Force on 27 April 2024, who had orchestrated a romance scam that caused substantial financial losses for a victim in Finland.
Initiated in 2021 in response to intelligence regarding the activities of cybercriminal syndicates in Africa, particularly in West Africa, Contender 2.0 is an ongoing operation coordinated by INTERPOL’s African Joint Operation against Cybercrime (AFJOC). This initiative aims to combat a broad spectrum of cyber threats, including business email compromise schemes, romance scams, as well as financial grooming crimes, which often involve cryptocurrencies or other digital assets.
As an INTERPOL Gateway Partner, Group-IB provided actionable intelligence to help the investigation, which enabled the law enforcement agencies to focus their efforts in identifying and apprehending the cybercriminals behind the scams, and continues to provide substantial support for Operation Contender 2.0.
As part of the same operation, a suspect and five other individuals were arrested by the Côte d’Ivoire authorities on charges relating to a large-scale phishing scam that targeted Swiss citizens. The scam caused over USD 1.4 million in financial losses and involved fraudsters posing as buyers on small advertising websites using QR codes to lead victims to fake payment sites, where victims unknowingly entered personal information. The scammers also impersonated customer service agents over the phone. Swiss authorities received over 260 reports of the scam from August 2023 to April 2024, leading to an investigation that traced the suspects to Côte d’Ivoire.
“Leveraging the increased reliance on technology in every aspect of our daily lives, cybercriminals are employing a range of techniques to steal data and execute fraudulent activities. These recent successful collaborations, under the umbrella of Operation Contender 2.0, demonstrate the importance of continued international cooperation in combating cybercrime and bringing perpetrators to justice.”
Director of the Cybercrime Directorate
“These cybercriminals prey on the emotions of their victims, exploiting their motivations and aspirations, and then robbing them of their hard-earned money. We are glad to have contributed to the arrest and the shutting down of this scam. Through our ongoing partnership with INTERPOL, we will continue to provide critical information to aid in the investigations and arrests of such cybercriminals and syndicates and work together to build a cyberspace for everyone.”
CEO of Group-IB
