INTERPOL Operation Killer Bee Nabs Alleged Online
Scamming Fraudsters
June 1, 2022

An
INTERPOL-led operation targeting malware cyber fraud
across Southeast Asia has led to the Nigeria arrest of
three suspected global scammers.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
arrested the suspects in a sting operation conducted
simultaneously in the Lagos suburb of Ajegunle and in
Benin City, 300 km to the East of the commercial
capital.
The Nigerian sting operation comes as part of a global
operation codenamed “Killer Bee” involving INTERPOL’s
General Secretariat headquarters and National Central
Bureaus (NCBs) and law enforcement agencies in 11
countries across Southeast Asia.
The arrests follows the publication of an INTERPOL Cyber
Report linking a suspected syndicate of Nigerian
fraudsters operating from the West Coast of Africa to
the use of a malicious Remote Access Trojan (RAT) known
as Agent Tesla.
The men are thought to have used the RAT to reroute
financial transactions, stealing confidential online
connection details from corporate organizations,
including oil and gas companies in South East Asia, the
Middle East and North Africa.
One of the scammers, Hendrix Omorume, has been charged
and convicted of three counts of serious financial fraud
and now faces a 12-month prison sentence. The two other
men are still on trial.
“Through its global police network and constant
monitoring of cyberspace, INTERPOL had the globally
sourced intelligence needed to alert Nigeria to a
serious security threat where millions could have been
lost without swift police action,” said INTERPOL's
Director of Cybercrime, Craig Jones.
“Further arrests and prosecutions are foreseen across
the world as intelligence continues to come in and
investigations unfold,” added Mr Jones.
INTERPOL assisted in examining the laptops and mobile
phones seized by EFCC during the arrests, helping to
confirm the systematic use of “Agent Tesla” malware to
access business computers and divert monetary
transactions to their own accounts.
“Cybercrime is spreading at a fast pace, with new trends
constantly emerging. Through operations like Killer Bee,
INTERPOL supports EFCC in keeping pace with new
technologies and understanding the possibilities they
create for criminals and how they can be used as tools
for fighting cybercrime,” said EFCC’s Director of
Operations, Abdulkarim Chukkol.
“The enforcement actions led by Nigeria and coordinated
with INTERPOL send a clear message that cybercrime will
have serious repercussions for those involved in
business email compromise fraud, particularly in
Nigeria,” added Mr. Chukkol.
The
three men, aged between 31 and 38, were each arrested in
possession of fake documents, including fraudulent
invoices and forged official letters.
Operation Killer Bee is led by the ASEAN Cybercrime
Operations Desk, which is funded by the Japan-ASEAN
Integration Fund (JAIF) 2.0 and supported by the
Singapore Government.
INTERPOL’s Cybercrime Directorate initiated the
operation based on intelligence received from
private-sector partner, Trend Micro, under the Gateway
framework, about the emergence and usage of “Agent
Tesla” malware.
Operational partners included Brunei, Cambodia,
Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nigeria,
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
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