A joint operation targeting cybercrime across Africa has resulted in 1,462 arrests, more than US$105 million in illicit funds recovered and 10,909 malicious networks disrupted, according to INTERPOL.Operation Serengeti III ran from 29 June to 31 August 2026, bringing together law enforcement agencies from 20 African countries and the United States, alongside private-sector cybersecurity partners, including Kaspersky.Financial investigations linked the criminal activities targeted during the operation to estimated losses of approximately US$385 million. Authorities identified nearly 66,000 victims, according to INTERPOL.The operation targeted business email compromise, ransomware, online investment scams and digital extortion. It also disrupted thousands of malicious networks used to facilitate cybercrime.The results come amid growing concern about the scale and sophistication of cybercrime across Africa. ITWeb Africa has previously reported on the continent’s cyberthreat landscape, including the growing use of artificial intelligence to automate phishing and other fraudulent activities.In Uganda, authorities dismantled two transnational fraud rings and arrested 365 foreign nationals linked to online investment and pension fraud schemes targeting victims across Asia.In Nigeria, law enforcement arrested a suspect linked to a large-scale phishing operation that harvested software credentials and compiled a database of 2.1 million email addresses. Authorities also arrested another suspect connected to an international investment scam conducted through a messaging application.In Angola, investigators shut down two illegal cryptocurrency mining centres and arrested nine suspects. The operation relied on intelligence-sharing between law enforcement and private-sector partners to identify targets before raids were conducted.The 20 participating African countries were Angola, Benin, Cameroon, the Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The United States also participated.Kaspersky’s Threat Research team supplied law enforcement agencies with technical intelligence on botnets, denial-of-service infrastructure, phishing URLs and malware targeting African organisations and users.Neal Jetton, INTERPOL’s director of cybercrime, emphasised the importance of international co-operation in disrupting criminal networks and recovering assets.“Cybercrime networks operate without regard for borders, exploiting technology to target victims on an unprecedented scale. Operation Serengeti III reinforces a clear message: while cybercrime is increasingly borderless, international cooperation remains one of the most effective tools for disrupting criminal networks, recovering criminal assets, and protecting communities from digital harm.”Yuliya Shlychkova, vice-president of global public affairs at Kaspersky, said collaboration between organisations and countries was essential to countering cybercrime.“The borderless nature of cybercrime makes it impossible for a single organisation or country to confront it on its own. This is why Kaspersky is actively cooperating with partners around the globe to share its deep knowledge of cyberthreats and is proud to be a regular contributor to INTERPOL-coordinated efforts and expand the fruitful record of joint operations year over year.”
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