A vast international cybercrime operation coordinated by INTERPOL has led to the arrest of 1,462 suspects and the dismantling of 10,909 malicious networks in 21 countries, including 19 African nations. Dubbed Serengeti III, the operation ran from June 29 to August 31, 2026, and targeted online scams, ransomware, investment fraud, business email compromise and digital extortion. More than $105 million in illicit funds were recovered, while financial investigations linked these activities to losses exceeding $385 million for 65,929 identified victims.
Several African countries stood out in particular. In Uganda, law enforcement dismantled two transnational fraud networks and arrested 365 foreign nationals involved in online investment and pension scams targeting victims in Asia in particular.
Investigators discovered call centers using fake trading platforms and fraudulent websites to lure investors.
In Angola, two illegal cryptocurrency mining centers were dismantled, nine suspects arrested, and more than 2,000 mining devices and six illegal electrical transformation stations seized, with a value exceeding $1 million.
In Nigeria, authorities arrested a suspect involved in a large-scale phishing and business email compromise operation that collected software credentials and approximately 2.1 million email addresses.
A separate investigation into international investment scams uncovered transfers of more than $2.4 million in suspected criminal funds, partly laundered through cryptocurrencies.
Other operations dismantled a fraudulent mobile lending scheme in Tanzania, disrupted a vehicle import fraud network in Gabon and arrested 30 suspects in the Republic of the Congo.
The African countries participating were Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, joined by the United States.
According to INTERPOL, the operation benefited from intelligence and technical expertise provided by private-sector partners.
The organization’s 2026 Africa Cyberthreat Assessment Report highlights the rapid evolution of digital threats on the continent, including cybercriminals’ growing use of artificial intelligence. Operation Serengeti III was co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe under the GLACY-e project.
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