Fraud syndicates disrupted across 16 African countries

AN international cybercrime crackdown spanning 16 African countries has led to 651 arrests and the recovery of more than USD 4.3 million, in what authorities describe as one of the continent’s most co-ordinated operations against online scams.

The eight-week initiative, dubbed Operation Red Card 2.0, ran from 8 December 2025 to 30 January 2026 and targeted networks behind high-yield investment fraud, mobile money scams and fraudulent loan applications. Investigators say the probes uncovered schemes linked to more than $45 million in losses and identified 1 247 victims across Africa and beyond.

The operation was co-ordinated with support from INTERPOL, which facilitated intelligence sharing, real-time information exchange and digital forensics training for participating agencies. Authorities also seized 2 341 electronic devices and dismantled 1 442 malicious IP addresses, domains and servers.

Neal Jetton, Director of INTERPOL’s Cybercrime Directorate, said organised cybercrime groups continue to cause “devastating financial and psychological harm” and stressed the need for cross-border co-operation to tackle increasingly sophisticated scams.

Syndicates and scam models exposed

Investigations revealed a range of fraud schemes operating across the continent. In Nigeria, police dismantled a high-yield investment ring that used phishing, identity theft and fake digital asset platforms, shutting down more than 1 000 fraudulent social media accounts and identifying a residential property used as the syndicate’s operational hub.

Kenyan authorities arrested 27 suspects linked to schemes that used messaging apps and fabricated testimonials to lure victims into bogus investments, often starting with small deposits of about $50 before blocking withdrawals.

In Côte d’Ivoire, a targeted operation against mobile loan fraud resulted in 58 arrests and the seizure of hundreds of devices and SIM cards. The scams exploited vulnerable users with promises of quick loans while harvesting personal data and imposing abusive repayment demands.

In a separate Nigerian case, six suspects were arrested for infiltrating a telecommunications provider’s internal systems using compromised staff credentials, enabling the illegal resale of airtime and data.

Multinational effort

Operation Red Card 2.0 was carried out under the African Joint Operation against Cybercrime initiative, funded by the UK government, with additional support from the Global Action on Cybercrime Enhanced project led by the European Union and the Council of Europe.

Participating countries included Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Chad, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.