Oh, Joy. African Cops Catch Some Scumbags.
Right, so apparently some law enforcement agencies in Africa – and I use that term loosely considering how long this took – actually managed to round up a few cybercrime rings. Big whoop. They’re talking about operations in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Ivory Coast, and Ghana. Mostly phishing, romance scams, business email compromise… the usual garbage preying on idiots with more money than sense.
They hauled in over 60 people across these countries, mostly for running these pathetic schemes. Interpol was involved, because apparently *someone* needed to hold their hands through this monumental task. They seized a bunch of phones, laptops, and a frankly embarrassing amount of cash. Like, seriously? These guys were operating with that level of tech?
The article pats them on the back for “international cooperation” and “disrupting criminal networks.” Yeah, okay. Disrupting. More like putting a tiny band-aid on a gaping wound. There are a million more where these clowns came from. Don’t expect this to actually *solve* anything.
And of course, they’re talking about training and capacity building. Because apparently the problem wasn’t that these criminals were clever, it was that the cops didn’t know how to use a computer. Fantastic. Just bloody fantastic.
Honestly? I’m not impressed. This is barely scratching the surface. But fine, go ahead and celebrate your minor victory. I’ll be over here anticipating the next wave of Nigerian prince emails.
Related Anecdote: I once had to explain to a network admin that “traceroute” wasn’t a new brand of energy drink. Seriously. These are the people we’re trusting to fight cybercrime. It’s depressing, truly.