Twenty-two Chinese citizens have pled guilty to cyber-related crimes in Zambia. The Chinese nationals are part of a larger group of 77 suspects who were busted in April for operating an internet fraud syndicate that targeted individuals all over the world, including in Singapore, Peru, and the UAE. Zambian authorities found that the accused manipulated identities online to scam people and, after a trial that spanned several weeks, will sentence them this Friday. Several dozen Zambians were also arrested for participating in the operation. According to the authorities, the Zambians worked as call center agents for the syndicate in which capacity they engaged in “deceptive conversations with unsuspecting mobile users across various platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, chatrooms and others, using scripted dialogues”. In the raid that marked the syndicate’s downfall, the authorities seized significant equipment, including 13,000 SIM cards, devices for disguising locations, firearms, and vehicles, highlighting the operation’s extensive reach.
SOURCE: BBC
#Chinese #Nationals #Established #Operated #Cybercrime #Syndicate #Zambia
