The International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) has revealed how a cryptocurrency-based Ponzi scheme targeting Nigerians and other nationalities was used to finance terrorism.
The scheme, according to an INTERPOL statement dated 22 October, masqueraded as a legitimate online trading platform but was found to be connected to terrorist financing networks.
The scam was uncovered during a two-month operation, codenamed Operation Catalyst.
Described as “first-of-its-kind,” the operation was jointly coordinated by INTERPOL and the African Union Mechanism for Police Cooperation (AFRIPOL) between July and September.
The scam spanned at least 17 countries, including Cameroon, Kenya, and Nigeria, defrauding more than 100,000 victims of an estimated USD 562 million.
Investigators linked several high-value cryptocurrency wallets associated with the scheme to potential terrorism funding activities.
The “transnational case involved a massive cryptocurrency-based Ponz
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