An INTERPOL-coordinated crackdown across 16 African countries, including Nigeria and Kenya, has dismantled multiple transnational cybercrime networks, leading to the arrest of 651 suspects and the recovery of over $4.3 million in stolen funds.
The eight-week operation, codenamed Red Card 2.0, ran from December 8, 2025, to January 30, 2026. It targeted high-yield investment scams, mobile money fraud, and fraudulent loan schemes.
According to an INTERPOL statement released on February 18, 2026, the operation uncovered fraud schemes responsible for more than $45 million in victim losses and identified 1,247 victims, the majority from African countries.
During the exercise, authorities seized 2,341 electronic devices and disabled 1,442 malicious IP addresses, while shutting down domains and servers used by the syndicates.
INTERPOL provided support through intelligence sharing, real-time information exchange, and training on digital forensic tools.
Neal Jetton, Director of INTERPOL’s Cybercrime Directorate, emphasized the devastating impact of these organised networks:
“Operation Red Card highlights the importance of collaboration when combatting transnational cybercrime. I encourage all victims of cybercrime to reach out to law enforcement for help.”
Key highlights from participating countries:
Nigeria
– Police dismantled a high-yield investment fraud syndicate that recruited young people to carry out phishing, identity theft, social engineering, and fake digital asset schemes.
– More than 1,000 fraudulent social media accounts linked to the network were taken down.
– Investigators uncovered a residential building constructed by the alleged ringleader as an operational hub for the crimes.
– In a separate case, six suspects were arrested for infiltrating a major telecommunications provider’s internal platform using compromised staff credentials to siphon airtime and data for illegal resale.
Kenya
– 27 suspects were arrested in connection with investment scams conducted via messaging apps, social media, and fabricated testimonials.
– Victims were lured into fake investments in reputable global corporations with promises of high returns, shown falsified dashboards and account statements, but blocked from withdrawing funds.
Côte d’Ivoire
– 58 suspects arrested.
– Authorities seized 240 mobile phones, 25 laptops, and over 300 SIM cards in operations targeting mobile loan fraud.
– Scammers used deceptive mobile applications to offer quick, unsecured loans, then imposed hidden fees, aggressive debt collection, and harvested victims’ personal data.
The operation was conducted under the African Joint Operation against Cybercrime (AFJOC), funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, with additional support from the Global Action on Cybercrime Enhanced (GLACY-e) project—a joint initiative of the European Union and the Council of Europe.
Participating countries: Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Chad, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The arrests and asset seizures mark one of the largest coordinated actions against cybercrime syndicates in Africa to date, underscoring the growing threat of organised digital fraud across the continent.
