Interpol announced on Friday, August 22, 2025, that more than 1,200 people have been arrested in a sweeping cybercrime operation across Africa, making it one of the largest coordinated crackdowns on digital fraud in the continent’s history.
The operation, codenamed Serengeti 2.0, took place between June and August and involved investigators from 18 African countries along with the United Kingdom.
Authorities identified around 88,000 victims of cybercrime and seized more than $97.4 million (€83.2 million), while also dismantling 11,432 malicious online infrastructures.
Cybercrime now accounts for more than 30% of all reported crime in West and East Africa, Interpol said, warning of the growing sophistication of transnational networks targeting individuals, governments, and businesses.
In Angola, police dismantled 25 illegal cryptocurrency mining centers operated by Chinese nationals, seizing equipment worth an estimated $37 million.
The Angolan government said the assets would be redirected to support electricity distribution in vulnerable communities.
In Ivory Coast, authorities broke up a transnational inheritance scam — described by Interpol as “one of the oldest internet frauds” — which defrauded victims of $1.6 million through bogus claims of inheritance fees.
In Zambia, investigators targeted a vast online investment scam that lured more than 65,000 victims, defrauding them of approximately $300 million.
Interpol said the crackdown demonstrates the importance of regional and international collaboration in addressing cybercrime, which continues to expand across Africa.