ABIDJAN — A large scale cybercrime crackdown across Africa has resulted in 651 arrests and the recovery of more than USD 4.3 million following an international operation targeting online scams that have cost victims tens of millions of dollars.
The operation, conducted from 8 December 2025 to 30 January 2026, brought together law enforcement agencies from 16 African countries to dismantle networks behind high yield investment scams, mobile money fraud and fraudulent mobile loan applications that often target unsuspecting users through phones and social media.
Code named Operation Red Card 2.0, the eight week effort uncovered scams linked to over USD 45 million in losses and identified 1,247 victims, most of them from the continent, though some cases extended to other parts of the world. Investigators seized 2,341 electronic devices and shut down 1,442 malicious IP addresses, domains and servers used to run the criminal activities.
INTERPOL supported the operation through intelligence sharing, real time information exchange and training on digital forensic tools to strengthen investigators’ capacity.
Neal Jetton, Director of INTERPOL’s Cybercrime Directorate, said:
“These organized cybercriminal syndicates inflict devastating financial and psychological harm on individuals, businesses and entire communities with their false promises. Operation Red Card highlights the importance of collaboration when combatting transnational cybercrime. I encourage all victims of cybercrime to reach out to law enforcement for help.”
Investigations revealed different scam models operating across participating countries.
In Nigeria, police dismantled a major investment fraud ring that recruited young people to carry out phishing attacks, identity theft, social engineering and fake digital asset schemes. Authorities removed more than 1,000 fraudulent social media accounts and discovered a residential property used as the syndicate’s operational base.
Authorities in Kenya arrested 27 suspects linked to schemes that used messaging applications, social media and fabricated testimonials to lure victims into fake investments in reputable global corporations. Victims were persuaded to deposit amounts as low as USD 50 with promises of high returns, only to find withdrawals blocked while fake dashboards displayed imaginary profits.
In Côte d’Ivoire, law enforcement arrested 58 suspects and confiscated 240 mobile phones, 25 laptops and more than 300 SIM cards in a crackdown on mobile loan fraud. The scams targeted vulnerable populations with promises of quick unsecured loans, later imposing hidden fees, abusive debt collection practices and harvesting sensitive personal and financial information.
A separate case in Nigeria led to the arrest of six members of a cybercrime syndicate that infiltrated the internal systems of a major telecommunications provider using compromised staff login credentials. The group siphoned large volumes of airtime and data for illegal resale before the scheme was disrupted.
Operation Red Card 2.0 was carried out under the African Joint Operation against Cybercrime, supported by partners including Cybercrime Atlas, Team Cymru, Trend Micro, TRM Labs and Uppsala Security, which provided technical data and intelligence. Funding came from the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, while the Global Action on Cybercrime Enhanced project, a joint initiative of the European Union and the Council of Europe, provided additional operational support.
Participating countries included Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Chad, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
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