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International police organisation Interpol has announced the arrest of 201 individuals as part of "Operation Ramz", a multinational effort to target phishing operations, malware threats, and "cyber scams" in the Middle East and North Africa region.
The "first of its kind" operation involved the participation of 13 countries and resulted in the seizure of 53 servers alongside the arrests. 3,867 victims of cybercrime were confirmed via nearly 8,000 pieces of data pulled from said servers (via Bleeping Computer).
"Interpol is dedicated to working with its member countries and private sector partners to take down malicious infrastructure, disrupt criminal groups and bring perpetrators to justice.”
The press release highlights several countries involved in the effort, including Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Algeria, and Morocco. In the case of Jordan, Interpol claims that 15 individuals were discovered by police to be running an investment scam that mimicked a legitimate trading platform, but were later determined to be victims of human trafficking.
Interpol says the individuals originated from elsewhere in Asia, but had been recruited under a false promise of employment before having their passports confiscated and being forced to participate in the scheme. Two people accused of orchestrating the fraudulent operation were arrested.
Another deferred method of operation occurred in Qatar, according to Interpol. There, investigators found multiple compromised devices that were being used to spread malicious threats, all while their owners were left completely unaware that their electronics had been hijacked.
Which is a pretty unnerving thought. Us PC users are usually pretty savvy to the idea that our machines need securing against outside threats, but it's important to remember that routers, phones, and other, less-obvious devices can also be vulnerable to attack, often without your knowledge.
Basically, think about security when using any electronic device. None of us want a knock on the door and a chat with the authorities, do we?
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