Interpol Dismantles Cybercrime Network in Middle East

Why this is here: The operation identified a server unknowingly hosted by a private citizen, which was then massively used by criminals for their activities.

Interpol arrested over 200 people across 13 countries in the Middle East and North Africa. The large-scale operation, called RAMZ, ran from October 2025 to February 2026. Police seized 53 servers used for illegal activities and formally identified 382 additional suspects.

The cybercriminals targeted nearly 4,000 victims with phishing schemes, fraud, and botnets. Investigators discovered a phishing-as-a-service platform in Algeria, allowing less-skilled individuals to launch attacks. In Morocco, authorities confiscated computers and hard drives containing stolen banking data.

A server infected with malware, unknowingly hosted by a private citizen, played a key role in the criminal network. Operations also revealed a fraud scheme in Jordan where 15 workers from Asia were held against their will and forced to participate in scams. Interpol notes that further arrests are possible due to the 8,000 intelligence files recovered.