A sweeping cybercrime operation coordinated by Interpol has resulted in the arrest of 1,209 suspects across Africa, alongside the recovery of nearly $97.4 million in stolen assets. The international policing body announced the results on Friday, describing the crackdown as one of its most far-reaching campaigns against online crime on the continent.
The joint operation, dubbed Operation Serengeti 2.0, ran between June and August and mobilized investigators from 18 African countries alongside partners in the United Kingdom. According to Interpol, the campaign targeted sophisticated cybercrimes ranging from ransomware to inheritance fraud and business email compromise schemes. Altogether, these crimes victimized nearly 88,000 people worldwide.
Interpol said the scale of the operation demonstrates the growing need for cross-border cooperation to dismantle cybercrime networks.
In Angola, authorities broke up 25 cryptocurrency mining facilities operated by 60 Chinese nationals. The seizure of mining equipment, valued at more than $37 million, marked one of the largest single confiscations in the operation. Officials said the recovered hardware will be redirected to strengthen power distribution in vulnerable areas of the country.
Zambian investigators uncovered another massive fraud scheme that swindled more than 65,000 victims of an estimated $300 million. The criminals behind the scam had operated an online investment platform promising unusually high returns.
“The scammers lured victims into investing in cryptocurrency through extensive advertising campaigns promising high-yield returns. Victims were then instructed to download multiple apps to participate,” Interpol revealed in its statement.
Authorities arrested 15 individuals linked to the operation and seized critical evidence, including domain names, bank accounts, and phone numbers. During the raid, investigators also disrupted what they described as a potential human trafficking network connected to the scam.
Elsewhere, in Ivory Coast, police dismantled a transnational inheritance fraud originating in Germany. Victims were deceived into paying fees to claim fake inheritances, with total losses exceeding $1.6 million. “Despite being one of the oldest-running internet frauds, inheritance scams continue to generate significant funds for criminal organizations,” Interpol stated.
Interpol’s Expanding Cybercrime Role
Headquartered in Lyon, France, Interpol is the world’s largest international policing body, bringing together 196 member countries. The organization, which celebrated its centenary last year, helps national law enforcement agencies share intelligence and coordinate responses to cross-border crime. Its work spans multiple areas, including counterterrorism, financial fraud, organized crime, cybercrime, and crimes against children.
But the agency is facing mounting challenges as cybercrime evolves. The rapid expansion of cryptocurrency scams, digital fraud, and online child exploitation has placed unprecedented pressure on its resources, alongside growing political divisions among member states.
Last year, during the first Operation Serengeti, Interpol coordinated efforts that led to the arrest of more than 1,000 suspects. That campaign disrupted cyber operations targeting at least 35,000 victims. With the conclusion of Operation Serengeti 2.0, the agency emphasized that cybercriminals continue to exploit vulnerable populations at scale, making international collaboration more urgent than ever.
Interpol said further coordinated actions will be carried out across member states to ensure that cybercriminal organizations are consistently dismantled and their financial operations crippled.
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