INTERPOL described the operation as being the first of its kind in the region in terms of scale, relying upon the coordination of almost 8,000 pieces of intelligence data shared among the participating countries and agencies.

“In a world where cybercriminals exploit the digital landscape without borders, Operation Ramz demonstrates the effectiveness of global collaboration,” Neal Jetton, INTERPOL’s Director of Cybercrime, said in a statement.

“INTERPOL is dedicated to working with its member countries and private sector partners to take down malicious infrastructure, disrupt criminal groups and bring perpetrators to justice.”

In addition to the arrests, law enforcement agencies seized 53 servers and identified 3,8677 victims.

INTERPOL outlined several of the operations, highlighting the breadth of the cyber-criminal threat in the region.

In Morocco, authorities seized devices and external drives used in phishing operations, leading to the arrest of three and further investigations, while Algerian authorities dismantled a phishing-as-a-service website.

Meanwhile, in Jordan, law enforcement authorities uncovered a 15-person scam operation. Those individuals themselves, however, were the victims of human trafficking who had been lured to Jordan from their home countries in Asia.

“Upon arrival in Jordan, their passports were confiscated, and they were forced or coerced into participating in the scheme,” INTERPOL said.

“Two individuals suspected of orchestrating the operation were arrested.”

Operation Ramz was conducted with the support of the Qatar Ministry of Interior, and partially funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe under the CyberSouth+ project, a joint initiative aimed at combatting cyber crime across the Southern Mediterranean.