INTERPOL: 1,462 arrests in Africa cyber sweep
INTERPOL said on the 22nd of October 2026 that police in 21 countries arrested 1,462 cybercrime suspects this summer. They recovered over 105 million dollars, against more than 385 million in losses.
INTERPOL's Operation Serengeti IIIPolice in 21 countries arrested 1,462 suspects in Operation Serengeti III, INTERPOL said on the 22nd of October 2026. They shut 10,909 criminal networks and got back over 105 million dollars.
The work ran from the 29th of June to the 31st of August 2026, INTERPOL said. It found 65,929 victims and losses of over 385 million dollars.
Scams, ransomware and fake boss emails in 20 African countries and the US
The targets were online scams, extortion and ransomware, software that locks files until a ransom is paid, INTERPOL said. Another target was email fraud, where criminals pose as a boss to get money sent.
Below we break down the biggest cases, country by country
In Uganda, police broke up two fraud rings and arrested 365 foreign nationals, INTERPOL said. The rings used call centres to trick pensioners in Asia.
In Angola, police shut two illegal crypto mining sites and took over 2,000 mining machines, the release said. Nine people were arrested.
In Nigeria, police held a man behind fake login emails that gathered about 2.1 million email addresses, INTERPOL said. A second case there traced over 2.4 million dollars.
Police also stopped a fake loan app in Tanzania and a car import scam in Gabon.
Arrests rose 21 percent from the 1,209 of 2025, by our arithmetic. The money got back is about 27 percent of the losses.
AI behind 55 percent of cybercrime in Africa, an INTERPOL report says
The release cites an INTERPOL report that finds AI "increasingly enabling cybercrime activity". That report's own release of the 3rd of August 2026 put the share at 55 percent.
The release of the 22nd does not say if AI was used in these cases. It also does not say if police used AI.
Group-IB, Kaspersky, Fortinet, Meta and six other partners helped
INTERPOL named 10 partners, among them Group-IB, Kaspersky, Fortinet and Meta. The European Union helped pay for it.
"Cybercrime networks operate without regard for borders," said Neal Jetton, who runs cybercrime at INTERPOL. Several cases are still open, INTERPOL said.
Key facts
Announced by INTERPOL on the 22nd of October 2026.
1,462 arrests in 21 countries over the summer of 2026.
10,909 networks shut, over 105 million dollars back.
65,929 victims, over 385 million dollars lost.
INTERPOL's report links AI to 55 percent of cybercrime in Africa.