More than 1,400 suspected cybercriminals were arrested across Africa this summer as part of an annual crackdown on the gangs perpetrating online fraud, ransomware and business email compromise (BEC) attacks, Interpol announced Thursday. The law enforcement operation, dubbed Serengeti III, was said to have disrupted more than 10,000 malicious computer networks and recovered more than $105 million in illicit funds. Just under 66,000 victims were identified, with cumulative losses exceeding $385 million. Previous operations in 2024 and 2025 tackled gangs also associated with millions in global losses. Twenty African countries took part in the operation, alongside the United States, with Interpol providing investigators with intelligence regarding suspicious domains, IP addresses and command-and-control servers that were tied to criminal activity. The largest number of arrests Interpol detailed came in Uganda, where law enforcement was described as dismantling two transnational fraud rings and arresting 365 foreign nationals. Local media described some arrests in the country of individuals “mainly originating from Asia,” although no specific nationalities were given. It is unclear whether those arrests were part of the same operation. Another report, describing arrests in April, said more than 200 illegal immigrants were arrested alongside “a significant cache of computers of all types and IT equipment used to facilitate illegal gaming, betting and organized scamming.” Simon Mundeyi, a spokesman for the Ugandan Ministry of Internal Affairs, said the majority were from South and East Asia and were operating from an apartment complex that appeared to restrict their ability to exit. Interpol said the groups in Uganda ran call centers that used scripts, fake trading platforms and fraudulent websites to persuade pensioners in Asia to put money into fictional investments. In Angola, investigators shut down two illegal cryptocurrency mining centers, arresting nine people and seizing more than 2,000 mining devices. Police also confiscated six illegal power transformation stations, which Interpol valued at more than $1 million on their own. It follows authorities in Angola raiding 25 mining centers allegedly operated by 60 Chinese nationals in Sergenti II last year. In Nigeria, authorities arrested a suspect accused of running a phishing and BEC operation that harvested software credentials and amassed about 2.1 million email addresses. Investigators also seized a luxury car allegedly bought with the proceeds. A separate Nigerian case, involving an investment scam promoted through messaging apps, led to one arrest and traced more than $2.4 million in suspected criminal proceeds, much of it laundered through cryptocurrency. Elsewhere, authorities took down a malicious mobile loan app scheme in Tanzania, disrupted a vehicle import fraud network operating on social media in Gabon, and arrested 30 people linked to a cybercrime operation in the Republic of Congo. It follows police in Ghana and Nigeria arresting or detaining 28 people, and identifying more than 100 suspected victims of human trafficking, during a separate international operation targeting scam compounds in West Africa. Interpol said several investigations remain open as authorities work to identify more suspects, trace illicit proceeds and analyze seized evidence.
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