In one of the largest coordinated crackdowns on digital crime ever witnessed on the continent, authorities in 18 African nations, supported by the United Kingdom and led by INTERPOL, have arrested more than 1,200 individuals suspected of cybercrime. The sweeping operation not only disrupted organized networks of online criminals but also revealed the scale of Africa’s rising vulnerability to cyber-enabled fraud, money laundering, and digital infrastructure exploitation.

According to INTERPOL, the month-long operation led to the arrest of 1,209 suspects linked to a wide range of schemes, including ransomware attacks, phishing campaigns, and business email compromise (BEC) fraud, among others. In total, investigators seized nearly $97.4 million in illicit funds, dismantled 11,432 malicious online infrastructure points, and identified tens of thousands of victims worldwide.

Africa has become an increasingly attractive hub for cybercriminal networks, not only as a target but also as a base of operations. While the continent’s rapid expansion of digital services has boosted commerce and innovation, it has also exposed weaknesses in cybersecurity enforcement and regulatory frameworks.

INTERPOL revealed that almost 88,000 victims had been affected by the criminal activities uncovered in the operation, ranging from individuals lured into online scams to corporations facing ransomware attacks. Business email compromise, a type of fraud where attackers infiltrate or spoof business communications to divert funds, was particularly widespread. This form of crime alone costs companies worldwide billions........

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