1,209 arrested in crackdown
Authorities throughout 18 African international locations and the UK have arrested over 1,200 suspects linked to cybercrime in a coordinated operation led by Interpol.
Dubbed Operation Serengeti 2.0, the crackdown ran from June to August 2025, focusing on high-impact on-line crime, together with funding fraud, ransomware assaults and enterprise e-mail compromise schemes.
Interpol confirmed that 1,209 individuals were arrested and that nearly $97.4 million in illicit funds were recovered. Investigators additionally dismantled 11,432 items of malicious on-line infrastructure. Virtually 88,000 victims had been recognized throughout operations, highlighting the rising attain of cybercrime throughout the continent and past.
The operation centered on tackling threats listed within the newest Interpol Africa Cyberthreat Evaluation Report, which recognized the speedy development of cybercrime as a serious threat throughout the area.
The findings mirror developments seen within the Center East and North Africa, the place authorities have additionally stepped up cybersecurity measures in response to growing digital threats.
To stop future threats, the operation included a partnership with the Worldwide Cyber Offender Prevention Community (InterCOP), a regulation enforcement alliance of 36 international locations. Led by the Netherlands, the initiative promotes early detection and disruption of cybercriminal exercise.
Operation Serengeti 2.0 was carried out below the African Joint Operation towards Cybercrime. Funding got here from the UK’s International, Commonwealth and Improvement Workplace.
Operational companions included Cybercrime Atlas, Fortinet, Group-IB, Kaspersky, The Shadowserver Basis, Workforce Cymru, Development Micro, TRM Labs and Uppsala Safety.
Taking part international locations included Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Côte D’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Seychelles, Tanzania, United Kingdom, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Fraud networks
The joint operation concerned regulation enforcement businesses from international locations together with Nigeria, Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire and Zambia. Intelligence was shared earlier than the launch of area actions, supported by cybersecurity companies resembling Fortinet, Group-IB, and Trend Micro. This collaboration allowed authorities to behave shortly on IP addresses, domains and server knowledge tied to illicit networks.
In Angola, police shut down 25 unlawful cryptocurrency mining centres operated by 60 Chinese language nationals. The amenities had been working on stolen electrical energy and utilizing unauthorised tools to validate blockchain transactions. Investigators seized $37 million price of IT and mining {hardware}. Authorities additionally confiscated 45 illicit energy provide stations, which have now been redirected to underserved communities.
In Zambia, officers uncovered a large-scale funding rip-off that had defrauded not less than 65,000 folks of round $300 million. Victims had been lured into buying faux crypto merchandise through high-visibility social media promoting. They had been requested to put in functions that facilitated additional monetary losses. Fifteen suspects had been detained, and a number of other financial institution accounts, domains and cell phone numbers linked to the rip-off had been seized.
Authorities in Zambia additionally disrupted a separate human trafficking ring after uncovering a rip-off centre in Lusaka. Officers, working with the Immigration Division, confiscated 372 counterfeit passports linked to seven completely different international locations.
Outdated scams
In Côte d’Ivoire, police arrested the important thing determine behind a long-running inheritance rip-off originating from Germany. Victims had been satisfied to pay administrative charges to assert false inheritances. The scheme generated an estimated $1.6 million in income. Seized property included automobiles, electronics, jewelry and money.
Regardless of being one of many oldest types of web fraud, inheritance scams proceed to thrive, significantly in lower-income economies the place on-line monetary literacy is proscribed. Interpol famous that legal organisations proceed to adapt previous scams to new applied sciences.
Valdecy Urquiza, Secretary Common of Interpol, mentioned: “Every Interpol-coordinated operation builds on the final, deepening cooperation, growing data sharing and growing investigative abilities throughout member international locations. With extra contributions and shared experience, the outcomes proceed to develop in scale and influence. This world community is stronger than ever, delivering actual outcomes and safeguarding victims.”
Coaching classes forward of the operation helped equip nationwide investigators with instruments to establish threats and deal with cryptocurrency-based offences. The workshops centered on open-source intelligence, ransomware ways, and blockchain tracing—abilities that specialists say are important as African nations digitise quickly.
Regional threats
Cybercrime has risen sharply in each Africa and the Center East. In line with Kaspersky, the Center East, Turkey and Africa (META) area noticed a 20% improve in ransomware incidents within the first half of 2025 in comparison with the identical interval final yr. Enterprise e-mail compromise (BEC) assaults have additionally surged, usually focusing on SMEs and authorities entities.
With African digital economies anticipated to develop considerably over the following decade, regional regulation enforcement businesses are below growing strain to strengthen cybersecurity infrastructure and worldwide cooperation.
Picture for illustration solely: Operation Serengeti 2.0 centered on tackling threats listed within the newest Interpol Africa Cyberthreat Evaluation Report, Credit score: Tima Miroshnichenko