International Task Force Arrests 31 Linked to South Africa–Based Online Investment Operation Targeting Overseas Victims

A multi-agency international law-enforcement task force has arrested six alleged organisers and 25 call-centre agents linked to an online investment fraud syndicate operating from South Africa. The arrests were carried out by the Hawks with support from Interpol, national banking risk units and major financial institutions, following an investigation initiated in 2022 based on complaints from 43 overseas victims, primarily in Australia.

Call-Centre Fraud Model and Infrastructure Evasion

Investigators allege the group ran structured “boiler-room” operations, where trained agents systematically targeted victims nearing retirement age. Victims were initially encouraged to make small deposits into fraudulent investment platforms that displayed fabricated gains, before being pressured into committing substantially larger sums through sustained engagement across Skype, WhatsApp, Zoom and other platforms.

According to law-enforcement findings, the syndicate repeatedly rotated company registrations, office locations and bank accounts every three to six months to evade detection. Multiple corporate entities were allegedly created solely to lease premises, open banking facilities, and process victim funds — a tactic consistent with patterns previously identified in BrokersView investigations into corporate mule accounts and shell-company abuse.

International Coordination and Financial Crime Focus

The takedown formed part of Interpol’s Operation Jackal, with financial intelligence support from banks and tax authorities. Investigators confirmed the fraud spanned multiple jurisdictions, with victims identified across Australia, the UK, the US, Canada and New Zealand, highlighting how local scam centres can service global victim pools.

Authorities emphasised that enforcement efforts focused not only on front-end call-centre staff, but on the financial backbone of the operation, including bank account control, corporate structuring, and proceeds movement — an approach aligned with BrokersView’s prior analysis on regulators shifting from scam narratives to settlement infrastructure.

The suspects are expected to appear before a specialised commercial crimes court, while financial tracing and asset-recovery efforts remain ongoing across multiple jurisdictions.