INTERPOL has announced the arrest of 1,462 suspects, the disruption of 10,909 malicious networks and the recovery of more than USD 105 million in illicit funds following a major cybercrime enforcement operation involving 21 countries.
The operation, dubbed Operation Serengeti III, was conducted between June 29 and August 31, 2026, under the coordination of INTERPOL, targeting cyber-enabled fraud, ransomware, business email compromise (BEC), online scams and digital extortion.
According to INTERPOL, authorities identified 65,929 victims targeted by cybercriminal networks during the operation, while financial investigations linked criminal activities to losses exceeding USD 385 million.
The crackdown brought together law enforcement agencies from 21 countries, including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Rwanda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, alongside other African nations and the United States.
The operation comes amid a rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape, with INTERPOL’s African Cyber Threat Assessment Report 2026 warning that artificial intelligence is increasingly enabling cybercrime activities across the continent, while financial losses associated with cyber-enabled crime continue to rise.
Before the operation began, investigators from 20 African countries and the United States received actionable intelligence on suspicious domains, internet protocol (IP) addresses and command-and-control infrastructure linked to criminal activities.
INTERPOL said private-sector partners supported the operation by providing intelligence, technical analysis and operational expertise to help authorities identify targets, map criminal networks and support investigations across the region.
INTERPOL Director of Cybercrime Neal Jetton said the operation demonstrated the importance of international cooperation in tackling criminal networks that operate across national borders.
“Cybercrime networks operate without regard for borders, exploiting technology to target victims on an unprecedented scale,” Jetton said.
Adding, “Operation Serengeti III reinforces a clear message: while cybercrime is increasingly borderless, international cooperation remains one of the most effective tools for disrupting criminal networks, recovering criminal assets and protecting communities from digital harm.”
In Uganda, authorities dismantled two transnational fraud rings and arrested 365 foreign nationals linked to sophisticated online investment and pension fraud schemes targeting victims across Asia.
Investigators uncovered a rotating call-centre model in which suspects used scripted communications, fake trading platforms and fraudulent websites to deceive pensioners into investing in non-existent opportunities.
In Angola, investigators dismantled two illegal cryptocurrency mining centres, arresting nine suspects and seizing more than 2,000 cryptocurrency mining devices, alongside six illegal power transformation stations.
The seized electrical infrastructure alone was valued at more than USD 1 million.
In Nigeria, authorities arrested a suspect linked to a large-scale phishing and business email compromise operation that harvested software credentials and amassed approximately 2.1 million email addresses.
Investigators also recovered a luxury vehicle suspected to have been purchased using criminal proceeds.
A separate Nigerian investigation targeted an international investment fraud scheme promoted through messaging applications, resulting in the arrest of a suspect.
Financial investigations revealed the movement of more than USD 2.4 million in suspected criminal proceeds, much of which was laundered through cryptocurrency transactions.
Elsewhere, authorities dismantled a malicious mobile loan application scheme in Tanzania and disrupted a social media-based vehicle import fraud network in Gabon.
In the Republic of Congo, 30 suspects linked to a cybercrime operation were also arrested.
INTERPOL said several investigations arising from Operation Serengeti III remained active, with authorities continuing efforts to identify additional suspects, trace illicit proceeds and analyse digital evidence seized during the operation.
The operation received support from private-sector partners, including Group-IB, Kaspersky, Fortinet, Team Cymru, Uppsala Security, Cybercrime Atlas, Meta, the Global Anti-Scam Alliance and the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe.
It was co-funded by the Global Action on Cybercrime Enhanced (GLACY-e) project, a joint initiative of the European Union and the Council of Europe.
The 21 participating countries were Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, the United States, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
