Twenty-two Chinese nationals and a Cameroonian man will serve lengthy prison terms in Zambia after they were recently found guilty of engaging in cyber-crime.
On Friday, the Magistrates' Court in Zambia's capital Lusaka ruled that the convicts will serve up to 11 years in prison, with the only female convict Gu Tianjiao handed a seven-year term.
Li Xianlin, the mastermind of the illegal network, was handed an 11-year prison term.
On top of being imprisoned, each of the convicts was fined between $1,500 and $3,000.
Pleaded guilty
The cybercrime network's victims included people in the United Arab Emirates, Singapore and Peru.
After being put on trial for weeks, the suspects pleaded guilty to online scam last Wednesday.
The particular offences that they admitted to are computer-related misrepresentation, identity theft, and illegal operation of a network.
In April this year, Zambian authorities arrested 77 people, including the convicts.
'Sophisticated fraud'
The prosecution described the suspects as a "sophisticated internet fraud syndicate."
Police made the arrests in Lusaka following an increase in cases of internet fraud, with the victims being people from different parts of the world.
Zambia said there had been a sharp rise in cases of people losing money from their mobile and bank accounts.
Among the 77 people arrested were Zambians aged between 20 and 25 accused of serving as call-centre agents in the fraudulent scheme.
'Deceptive conversations'
The court was told that the young Zambians were hired to engage in "deceptive conversations with unsuspecting mobile users across various platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, chatrooms and others, using scripted dialogues."
The Zambians, who were charged in April, were released on bail to assist authorities with investigations.
The convicts sentenced in Lusaka on Friday operated the Golden Top Support Services. The firm is located at Roma, a high-end neighbourhood in Lusaka.
Police recovered more than 13,000 sim cards and devices allowing callers to disguise their location. The sim cards belonged to local and foreign mobile service providers.
Illegal stay in Zambia
Two firearms, about 78 rounds of ammunition, and two vehicles belonging to a Chinese national linked to the business were also confiscated.
According to authorities, at least nine Chinese nationals were in Zambia illegally.
Research shows that more than 10 million cyberattacks targeted Zambian citizens and businesses in 2021 alone.
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