Between June and August 2025, INTERPOL led a sweeping operation across Africa, resulting in the arrest of over 1,200 suspected cybercriminals and the disruption of more than 11,000 malicious online infrastructures.
The extensive crackdown thwarted cyber fraud schemes that had targeted nearly 88,000 victims, recovering close to $100 million in illicit funds.
Dubbed Serengeti 2.0, this large-scale campaign united law enforcement agencies from 18 African countries alongside partners from the United Kingdom. The effort tackled a range of digital threats, including ransomware attacks, business email compromise (BEC), and fraudulent online activities, areas previously noted as escalating challenges in INTERPOL’s Africa Cyberthreat Assessment Report.
Key intelligence driving the raids came from a combination of suspicious IP addresses, domain monitoring, and command-and-control server identification. Specialized expertise from private sector collaborators was crucial in tracing cryptocurrency-related crimes, analyzing ransomware tactics, and conducting digital forensic investigations.
The crackdown uncovered several notable cases throughout the continent. In Angola, authorities shut down 25 illicit cryptocurrency mining sites operated by Chinese nationals, seizing equipment valued at over $37 million, which local officials plan to repurpose to improve regional power supply.
Zambia saw a bust involving an elaborate crypto investment scam that fooled some 65,000 people, causing losses estimated at $300 million. Fifteen suspects were apprehended, and investigators confiscated domain registrations, bank accounts, and mobile phones connected to the fraud network. Additionally, Zambian police dismantled a suspected human trafficking ring, recovering 372 forged passports from seven different nations.
Côte d’Ivoire also played a critical role, breaking a cross-border inheritance fraud scheme originating from Germany. Following the arrest of the main suspect, authorities seized cash, vehicles, electronics, and jewelry linked to the scam that defrauded victims of approximately $1.6 million. Despite being a longstanding form of cyber deception, inheritance cons remain lucrative for organized crime, INTERPOL officials noted.
This pan-African crackdown shows the rising threat that digital crimes pose as more people and businesses engage online. Funded partly by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office and supported by industry leaders like Fortinet and Kaspersky, the campaign demonstrates the power of multinational partnerships in securing the continent’s cyberspace. INTERPOL and its partners are expected to maintain vigilance, refining tactics to stay ahead of evolving cybercriminal strategies.
