Lusaka Police arrest member of “Gen Z Delinquents” for International Cybercrime
LUSAKA-Ernest Zibonile, a 22-year-old from Kabanana Compound, was arrested by Lusaka police for allegedly aiding international hackers from Nigeria and Kenya in hijacking WhatsApp accounts to extort money from victims’ contacts.
The accused was affiliated with “Gen Z delinquents,” a term referring to a subset Generation Z(people born 1997-2012) involved in troublesome behavior, including cybercrime and other illicit activities.
Zibonile’s scam involved hacking WhatsApp accounts to extort money from contacts. He withdrew the funds through Zambian phone numbers, using prepaid SIM cards to remain anonymous. This illicit activity generated a 15% commission for Zibonile per transaction.
The accused’s arrest culminated from a collaborative investigation by the Cybersecurity Task Force and Zambia Information and Communications Authority (ZICTA).
The investigation began urgently after Joyce Mwanza, 19, from Lusaka fell victim to a WhatsApp scam. A man with a foreign accent, posing as a local tricked her into an online meeting, gaining access to her account.
During the online meeting, Mwanza was tricked into sharing a four-digit code, instantly handing over control of her account. This paved the way for a fraudulent loan scheme that scammed her contacts out of K22 000.
According to authorities, hackers primarily employed sophisticated social engineering tactics to deceive victims, typically through bogus phone calls and fake Zoom meeting invitations.
