INTERPOL has coordinated a first-of-its-kind cybercrime crackdown across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) that led to 201 arrests and the identification of an additional 382 suspects.
The initiative involved the efforts of 13 countries from the region between October 2025 and February 2026, aiming to investigate and neutralize malicious infrastructure, arrest perpetrators behind these activities, and prevent future losses.
"The operation focused on neutralizing phishing and malware threats, as well as tackling cyber scams that inflict severe cost to the region," INTERPOL said in a statement. "In addition to the arrests made, 3,867 victims were identified, and 53 servers were seized."
The operation, codenamed Ramz, led to the disruption of a phishing-as-a-service (PhaaS) by Algerian authorities after its server was confiscated, along with a computer, a mobile phone, and hard drives containing phishing software and scripts. One suspect was arrested in connection with the scheme.
Elsewhere, Moroccan officials seized computers, smartphones, and external hard drives that contained banking data and software used for phishing operations.
