INTERPOL NCB Abuja Cyber Crime Unit arrested 12 suspected members of a prolific Cyber Crime network as part of a Nigerian Police Operation coordinated with INTERPOL.
The suspects were said to be members of ‘Silver Terrier’, a network known for business email compromise (BEC) scams, which have defrauded thousands of businesses worldwide.
His arrest was the aftermath of an intelligence-led operation, Newslodge has gathered.
The ten-day operation, which took place between December 13 and 22, 2021, in which INTERPOL NCB Abuja Cybercrime Officers simultaneously carried out the operations in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, the island of Lagos in Lagos state and Asaba in Delta state arrested the selected suspects. identified, in advance with intelligence provided by INTERPOL’s Cybercrime Directorate in Singapore.
“The field operations were preceded by an intelligence sharing and analysis phase, in which NCB Abuja’s Cybercrime Unit used INTERPOL’s secure global communications network, i24/7, to work with law enforcement. law enforcement agencies around the world and also assist in the investigation of BEC scams linked to Nigeria,” the report says.
“Preliminary analysis confirms the suspect’s collective participation in BEC criminal schemes associated with more than 50,000 victims. One of the arrested suspects has in his possession more than 800,000 domain credentials of potential victims on his laptop.
“Another suspect had been monitoring the conversation between 16 companies and their customers and diverting funds to Silver Terrier whenever the companies’ monetary transactions were about to go through.
“Operation Falcon ii sends a clear message that Cybercrime will have serious repercussions for those involved in BEC Fraud, particularly as we continue our attack on threat actors, identifying and analyzing every Cyber trail they leave behind.
“INTERPOL Vice President and Head of the Abuja National Central Bureau, AIG Umar, emphasized that at this time of increasing threats, members of the public, businesses and organizations are reminded to protect themselves from online scams by using the following tips featured in INTERPOL’s #JustOneClick, #WashYourcyberHands, #OnlineCrimeIsRealCrime and #BECareful campaigns.”