A” advanced online scams consortium” has been uncovered in Zambia, leading to the imprisonment of 77 people, including 22 Chinese citizens.
Following a multi-agency attack on a Chinese-run organization, the authorities declared it was a” major milestone in the fight against cybercrime.”
Zambians who viewed themselves as call-center officials were employed by the business.
Dozens of Sim cards and devices allowing visitors to conceal their locations were among the items seized.
Golden Top Support Services, the company at the heart of the attack, has never commented on the claims.
The swoop on its premises, located in Roma, an upmarket suburb of the capital, Lusaka, was led by the Drug Enforcement Commission ( DEC ) and also involved the police, the immigration department and anti- terrorism unit.
Following a worrying increase in online fraud situations in Zambia, DEC director common Nason Banda said following Tuesday’s attack that the agencies had been gathering knowledge for months.
He said Golden Top Support Services had recruited “unsuspecting” Zambians aged between 20 and 25.
They had been tasked” with engaged in false conversations with innocent mobile users across different platforms like as WhatsApp, Telegram, chatrooms and others, using staged dialogues”.
11 Sim boxes were discovered during the operation, which allow calls to be routed through reasonable phone networks.
This enables them to be used” for false activities, including online fraud and virtual ripoffs”, Mr Banda said.
More than 13, 000 Sim tickets- both domestic and international- were likewise seized, which underscored” the amount of the firm’s reach”, the DEC mind said.
Despite the reported “illicit activities that this scam’s alleged “extended beyond Zambia’s borders,” he claimed, an increasing number of Zambians were losing money from their bank transactions as a result of money-laundering techniques.
Evidence indicated people in countries including Singapore, Peru, the United Arab Emirates ( UAE ) and others across Africa had been targeted.
Two handguns and about 78 rounds of ammunition were confiscated and two cars, belonging to a Taiwanese national linked to the company, have been impounded.
According to Mr. Banda, the Zimbabwean citizens were questioned and released on bail so they could assist the government with their inquiries.
The international nationals- 22 Chinese people and a Ecuadorian- remain in custody.