In a major blow to transnational criminal networks, Interpol has announced a sweeping crackdown that led to the arrest of over 1,200 cybercrime suspects across Africa. The operation, codenamed “Serengeti 2.0,” was a joint effort involving law enforcement agencies from 18 African countries and the United Kingdom, and was conducted between June and August 2025.
The multi-country initiative targeted a range of high-impact cybercrimes that have been on the rise across the continent, including:
- Ransomware Attacks: Cases where criminals hack into computer systems and demand a ransom to restore access.
- Online Scams: This includes a wide array of fraudulent schemes, from romance scams to investment fraud. In one case in Zambia, a massive cryptocurrency investment scam was uncovered, believed to have defrauded 65,000 victims of an estimated $300 million.
- Business Email Compromise (BEC): Fraud where scammers impersonate company executives to trick employees into making fraudulent payments.
Beyond the arrests, the operation also yielded significant results in disrupting criminal infrastructure. Authorities recovered a total of $97.4 million in fraudulent funds and dismantled over 11,000 malicious websites and networks used by the scammers. The success of the operation was largely attributed to intelligence sharing and collaboration with private sector cybersecurity partners.
The crackdown underscores the growing threat of cybercrime in Africa and demonstrates the effectiveness of international cooperation in combating these borderless crimes. It also serves as a warning to criminals that law enforcement agencies are increasing their capacity and working together to protect a growing number of digital users across the continent.
