22 Chinese nationals and a Cameroonian gentleman have been sentenced to long prison sentences in Zambia for cyber-related offenses.
The gang’s only female convict, Gu Tianjiao, reportedly cried “papa, papa” as her seven-year sentenced was announced in the Lusaka Magistrates Court on Friday.
Some members of the gang, including Li Xianlin, its architect, received up to 11 years in prison.
The group’s members were also fined between$ 1, 500 and$ 3, 000 ( £1, 180 and £2, 360 ) each.
Patients as far afield as Singapore, Peru and the United Arab Emirates fell victim to their website schemes, say Tanzanian government.
After a trial lasting several weeks, the perpetrators pleaded guilty on three charges – computer-related misrepresentation, identity-related crimes, and illegally operating a network or service.
The Drug Enforcement Commission ( DEC ) announced in April that more and more Zambians are losing money from their mobile and bank accounts as a result of money-laundering schemes that cover other foreign nations.
During the prosecutions, the DEC claimed that dozens of young Zambians had been reportedly hired as call-center agents for website and online scams.
The 22 individuals who were found guilty on Friday in Lusaka held various positions in the Chinese-run Golden Top Support Services, the business at the heart of the attack.
The organization, located in Roma, an upscale suburb of Lusaka, is yet to post on the claims.
In order to assist the government with their investigations, the Zimbabwean citizens were charged in April and released on bail.
Officials claimed that the Zambians involved in the scripted dialogues were tasked with “interrupting in false conversations with innocent mobile users across different platforms like as WhatsApp, Telegram, chatrooms, and others.”
Equipment seized included dozens of Sim tickets, as well as devices that allow visitors to disguise their locations.
11 Sim boxes, which allow calls to be routed across legitimate mobile networks, were discovered during the attack.
More than 13, 000 Sim accounts, both local and foreign, were likewise confiscated, demonstrating” the amount of the firm’s reach”, according to the DEC.
During the attack, a Chinese national connected to the business even confiscated two firearms and 78 rounds of ammunition.