Interpol, in collaboration with Afripol, has arrested over 1,000 individuals across 19 African countries during Operation Serengeti, targeting cybercrimes like ransomware, phishing, and online scams.
Conducted between September and October, the operation uncovered over 35,000 victims and linked the activities to $193 million in global financial losses.
Key arrests included suspects in Kenya linked to $8.6 million in credit card fraud, individuals in Senegal running a Ponzi scheme defrauding 1,800 victims, and a Nigerian man accused of cryptocurrency scams worth over $300,000.
Authorities in Cameroon also disrupted a human trafficking network forcing victims into multilevel marketing scams under exploitative conditions.
Interpol emphasized the growing threat of cybercrime across Africa, with Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza calling for stronger international cooperation to combat increasingly sophisticated criminal operations.
Cybercrime remains a global challenge, with estimated financial losses ranging from hundreds of millions to trillions of dollars. The World Cybercrime Index identifies Russia, Ukraine, China, the United States, and Nigeria as the primary origins of cybercrime. Some crimes, such as AI-driven impersonation schemes and romance scams, have even resulted in fatalities.
“Operation Serengeti demonstrates the strength of international collaboration,” Urquiza said. “This is only the beginning, and we remain committed to dismantling these criminal networks worldwide.”
