INTERPOL on Friday announced that authorities from 18 countries across Africa have arrested 1,209 cybercriminals who targeted 88,000 victims.
“The crackdown recovered $97.4 million and dismantled 11,432 malicious infrastructures, underscoring the global reach of cybercrime and the urgent need for cross-border cooperation,” the agency said.
The effort is the second phase of an ongoing law enforcement initiative called Operation Serengeti, which took place between June and August 2025 to tackle severe crimes like ransomware, online scams. and business email compromise (BEC). The first wave of arrests occurred late last year.
Among the highlights are the dismantling of 25 cryptocurrency mining centres in Angola, where 60 Chinese nationals were involved in the illicit money-making scheme.
“The crackdown identified 45 illicit power stations which were confiscated, along with mining and IT equipment worth more than $37 million, now earmarked by the government to support power distribution in vulnerable areas,” INTERPOL said.
Elsewhere, Zambian authorities have taken down a large-scale online investment fraud operation that claimed 65,000 victims who lost around $300 million after they were lured into investing in cryptocurrency through advertising campaigns that promised high-yield returns.
Fifteen individuals have been arrested in connection with the scheme, with officials seizing domains, mobile numbers, and bank accounts for further investigation. Also disrupted in the southern African country is a scam center and a suspected human trafficking network.
Lastly, law enforcement also tore down a transnational inheritance scam originating in Germany, arresting the primary suspect and confiscating electronics, jewellery, cash, and vehicles. The scam is estimated to have caused losses of around $1.6 million.
“Each INTERPOL-coordinated operation builds on the last, deepening cooperation, increasing information sharing and developing investigative skills across member countries,” Valdecy Urquiza, secretary general of INTERPOL, said. “With more contributions and shared expertise, the results keep growing in scale and impact. This global network is stronger than ever, delivering real outcomes and safeguarding victims.”
Singapore-headquartered Group-IB said it provided “circumstantial intelligence” on a cryptocurrency investment scam, along with infrastructural details associated with the scam and other BEC campaigns across the African region.
“Cybercrime recognizes no borders, and its impact is truly global,” Dmitry Volkov, Group-IB CEO, said. “The success of Operation Serengeti 2.0 demonstrates what can be achieved when nations stand together against this threat.”
In a post shared on LinkedIn, blockchain intelligence platform TRM Labs said investigators pursued leads tied to the Bl00dy ransomware group in Ghana and acted on information connected to RansomHub, another ransomware operation that abruptly went offline earlier this April.
Countries that participated in the crackdown include Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Seychelles, Tanzania, the United Kingdom, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The disclosure comes as Nigeria deported 102 foreign nationals, including 60 Chinese and 39 people from the Philippines, who were convicted of cyber terrorism and internet fraud, according to the country’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The deportees were among 792 suspected cybercriminals arrested in December 2024.
Earlier this March, law enforcement authorities in seven African countries also arrested 306 suspects and confiscated 1,842 devices as part of an international operation codenamed Red Card that took place between November 2024 and February 2025.
