International law enforcement agencies have dealt a major blow to cybercriminal networks through a coordinated operation spanning 21 countries, leading to 1,462 arrests, the disruption of 10,909 malicious networks and the recovery of more than $105 million in suspected illicit funds.
Coordinated by INTERPOL, Operation Serengeti III ran from June 29 to August 31, 2026. It targeted cyber-enabled fraud, ransomware, business email compromise (BEC), online scams and digital extortion. Investigators identified 65,929 victims, while financial investigations linked the criminal activity to losses exceeding $385 million.
The operation comes as cyber threats evolve across Africa, where artificial intelligence is increasingly being used in cybercrime. INTERPOL’s African Cyber Threat Assessment Report 2026 also highlights rising financial losses from cyber-enabled offences.
Before the operation, investigators from 20 African countries and the United States received intelligence on suspicious domains, IP addresses and command-and-control infrastructure. Private-sector partners provided technical analysis and expertise to help identify targets and map criminal networks.
INTERPOL Director of Cybercrime Neal Jetton said international cooperation remains essential to tackling criminal networks that operate across borders.
Major cases across participating countries
In Uganda, authorities dismantled 2 international fraud rings and arrested 365 foreign nationals suspected of running online investment and pension scams targeting victims across Asia. The operation uncovered rotating call centres, fake trading platforms and fraudulent websites used to deceive pensioners.
In Angola, authorities shut down 2 illegal cryptocurrency mining centres, arrested 9 suspects and seized more than 2,000 mining devices and 6 illegal power transformation stations. The seized electrical infrastructure was valued at more than $1 million.
In Nigeria, investigators arrested a suspect linked to phishing and BEC attacks that harvested software credentials and collected approximately 2.1 million email addresses. They also recovered a luxury vehicle suspected of being purchased with criminal proceeds. A separate investment fraud investigation led to an arrest and traced more than $2.4 million in suspected criminal proceeds, much of it allegedly laundered through cryptocurrency.
Authorities also dismantled a malicious mobile loan app scheme in Tanzania, disrupted a social media-based vehicle import fraud network in Gabon and arrested 30 suspects linked to cybercrime in the Republic of Congo.
Several investigations remain active as authorities continue tracing funds, analysing seized digital evidence and identifying suspects.
The operation received support from cybersecurity companies, technology firms and anti-scam organisations. It was co-funded by the European Union and Council of Europe through the GLACY-e project.
The 21 participating countries included 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.
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