201 Arrested in Crackdown on Cybercrime in Middle East, North Africa

A total of 201 individuals were arrested, and 382 additional suspects were identified in a law enforcement crackdown on phishing and malware threats in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Named Operation Ramz, the 13-country effort also resulted in the seizure of 53 servers and in the identification of 3,867 victims across participating jurisdictions, Interpol announced. Law enforcement agencies in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Tunisia, and the UAE participated in the operation, which ran from October 2025 to 28 February 2026. Authorities received support from multiple private partners, including Group-IB, Kaspersky, the Shadowserver Foundation, Team Cymru, and TrendAI, which helped track the illegal activities and identify the malicious infrastructure. In Algeria, law enforcement shut down a phishing-as-a-service (Phaas) website, arrested one suspect, and seized a server, a computer, a phone, and hard drives containing malicious software and scripts. In Jordan, police located a computer used in financial fraud scams and arrested two individuals for orchestrating the scheme. As part of the operation, 15 individuals were carrying out the scams, but all were victims of human trafficking. The individuals were promised employment and came to Jordan from various Asian countries. Upon arrival in Jordan, the two suspects confiscated their passports and forced them to participate in the scheme. In Morocco, authorities arrested three individuals and seized computers, phones, and hard drives used in phishing operations. In Oman, authorities disabled a server containing sensitive information that was affected by multiple critical vulnerabilities and was infected with malware. In Qatar, law enforcement identified compromised devices that had been used to spread malware without their owners’ knowledge. The systems were secured, and the owners were notified. “Cybercrime is borderless, and the only effective response is one that is equally borderless. Operation Ramz is exactly that kind of response, law enforcement and trusted private-sector partners pooling intelligence, moving in concert, and dismantling the infrastructure that criminals depend on,” said Team Cymru CEO Joe Sander. Related: US Launches Sweeping Crackdown on Southeast Asia Cyberscams and Sanctions Cambodian Senator Related: Trump Administration Vows Crackdown on Chinese Companies ‘Exploiting’ AI Models Made in US Related: In Other News: N8n Flaw Exploited, Slopoly Malware, Interpol Cybercrime Crackdown Related: 574 Arrested, $3 Million Seized in Crackdown on African Cybercrime Rings WRITTEN BY Ionut Arghire Ionut Arghire is an international correspondent for SecurityWeek. 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