Operation Serengeti III Leads to 1,462 Arrests in Major African Cybercrime Crackdown

An international cybersecurity enforcement operation has resulted in 1,462 arrests and the disruption of thousands of criminal networks operating across Africa, marking another major effort to combat increasingly sophisticated online criminal activities.

Operation Serengeti III, coordinated by INTERPOL, brought together law enforcement agencies from 21 countries between June 29 and August 31, 2026. The operation focused on cyber-enabled financial fraud, business email compromise, ransomware, cryptocurrency-related crimes, and online scams.

Authorities disrupted 10,909 malicious networks and recovered more than $105 million in suspected criminal proceeds. Investigators also identified 65,929 victims and connected the criminal activities to financial losses exceeding $385 million.

Uganda was among the countries reporting significant enforcement results. Investigators dismantled two international fraud operations and arrested 365 foreign nationals suspected of participating in investment and pension scams. The criminal networks reportedly operated sophisticated call centers that used fraudulent trading platforms and deceptive websites to target victims in Asian countries.

In Angola, authorities uncovered illegal cryptocurrency mining operations and seized more than 2,000 mining machines. Nine suspects were arrested, while investigators also confiscated six electrical transformation stations used to support the facilities.

Nigeria’s investigations uncovered phishing and business email compromise activities involving stolen software credentials and approximately 2.1 million email addresses. Authorities also investigated an international investment fraud scheme involving more than $2.4 million in suspected criminal proceeds.

Other investigations targeted fraudulent mobile loan applications, social media-based vehicle import scams, and cybercriminal operations in several African countries.

Cybersecurity companies, including Group-IB, Kaspersky, Fortinet, and Team Cymru, provided technical expertise and intelligence to help investigators identify malicious infrastructure and trace criminal networks.

The operation highlights the growing scale of cybercrime across the continent, particularly as criminals increasingly use cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence, and digital communication platforms to conduct fraudulent activities.

INTERPOL’s latest crackdown demonstrates how cooperation between international law enforcement agencies and private cybersecurity organizations can help disrupt criminal operations, recover stolen funds, and identify victims.