Journalism Student Uncovers Global Network of 2,200 Scam Sites
What started as a routine student internship exercise has unmasked a massive international cybercrime network. An investigation by Lusa Verifica, the fact-checking arm of the Lusa news agency, has revealed a sprawling web of 2,197 fraudulent websites operating across 94 countries, including Portugal and several African nations.
From a Local Scam to a Global Web
The investigation began when a Cape Verdean journalism student interning at Lusa was tasked with analyzing a suspicious recruitment page claiming to be for the National Elections Commission of Cape Verde (CNE CV). Using digital forensic techniques to trace the site’s origin, the team discovered links to multiple profiles on Blogger, Google’s blog-creation platform, hidden within the site’s source code.
This “digital breadcrumb trail” led researchers on a weeks-long hunt. Each discovered profile point toward more addresses, which in turn contained code linking to further profiles. By the end of the operation, the team had identified a coordinated network of more than 70 profiles managing thousands of deceptive sites.
Sophisticated Schemes and Forged Identities
While the initial Cape Verdean site lured victims with fake job offers, the network’s tactics vary by region. Common scams used by the group include promising free mobile data or non-existent financial aid packages. To gain trust, the scammers frequently impersonate public entities, international organizations, well-known corporations, and public figures.
The scale of the institutional impersonation is significant. Investigators found that the network forged 73 different pages mimicking election commissions across 26 countries—including Portugal and several Portuguese-speaking African Countries (PALOP).
A Warning to Citizens
The CNE CV has since denounced the fraudulent page, which appeared just weeks before the country’s May 17 elections. Although the original page was taken down after being reported, a second identical site appeared shortly after. Currently, that address redirects users to a scam targeting students of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) in Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Gambia, and Liberia.
Authorities and the Lusa Verifica team are urging the public to remain vigilant. The Cape Verdean CNE issued a statement clarifying that it has “no link” to these sites and warned citizens never to share personal data or respond to advertisements from unofficial sources.
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