Uganda has emerged as a major focus of Africa’s fight against cybercrime after authorities arrested 365 foreign nationals linked to two transnational fraud rings accused of running online investment and pension scams targeting victims across Asia.
The arrests were part of an Interpol-coordinated operation that saw law enforcement agencies in 21 countries arrest 1,462 suspects, disrupt 10,909 malicious networks and recover more than $105 million in illicit funds.
The Ugandan investigations uncovered sophisticated schemes that used call centres, scripted communications, fake trading platforms and fraudulent websites to persuade pensioners to invest in non-existent financial opportunities.
The crackdown highlights the growing complexity of cyber-enabled financial crime, as criminal networks exploit digital platforms to target victims across borders while concealing their identities and the movement of illicit proceeds.
Across the participating countries, investigators identified 65,929 victims targeted by cybercriminal networks, with financial investigations linking criminal activity to losses exceeding $385 million.
Dubbed Operation Serengeti III, the crackdown ran from June 29 to August 31, 2026, targeting cyber-enabled fraud, ransomware, business email compromise, online scams and digital extortion.
“Cybercrime networks operate without regard for borders, exploiting technology to target victims on an unprecedented scale,” Interpol Director of Cybercrime Neal Jetton said.
“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.”
Uganda accounted for about a quarter of the 1,462 arrests recorded during the operation, with authorities dismantling two fraud rings whose activities extended beyond the country.
According to Interpol, the networks operated rotating call centres through which suspects used scripted communications to convince victims that they were dealing with legitimate investment providers.
Fake trading platforms and fraudulent websites helped reinforce the deception, making non-existent investment opportunities appear credible to potential investors.
Pensioners were among those targeted, exposing how fraudsters exploit the prospect of financial security to persuade victims to part with their savings.
The operation also illustrates the challenges facing investigators when the perpetrators, victims, digital infrastructure and proceeds of crime are spread across several jurisdictions.
Identity of foreign nationals
Interpol did not disclose the nationalities of the 365 foreign nationals arrested in Uganda, the alleged organisers or the amount of money attributed specifically to the two schemes. Details of charges and court proceedings were also not provided.
The arrests come amid concerns over the expansion of cyber-enabled financial crime across Africa, where the growth of digital services has created new opportunities for fraudsters to target individuals and businesses.
Uganda’s 2024 police crime report recorded 474 cybercrime cases, up from 245 in 2023, an increase of about 93.5 percent. Reported losses stood at Ush72.1 billion ($16.8 million) while only about Ush420 million ($98,000) was recovered.
Interpol’s African Cyber Threat Assessment Report 2026 points to an evolving threat landscape in which artificial intelligence is increasingly enabling cybercrime, while cyber-enabled financial losses continue to rise. Criminals can exploit online platforms, impersonate legitimate businesses and use convincing digital communications to lure victims into fraudulent investments. The use of multiple jurisdictions can further complicate investigations and efforts to recover stolen money.
For Uganda, the latest arrests raise questions about how the alleged networks established their operations, recruited personnel and accessed the infrastructure needed to target victims overseas.
Uganda was one of several countries where investigators uncovered complex criminal operations during the two-month crackdown.
In Angola, authorities dismantled two illegal cryptocurrency mining centres, arrested nine suspects, and seized more than 2,000 mining devices, alongside six illegal power transformation stations valued at more than $1 million.
In Nigeria, investigators arrested a suspect accused of running a large-scale phishing and business email compromise operation that harvested software credentials and amassed 2.1 million e-mail addresses.
A separate Nigerian investigation targeted an international investment fraud scheme promoted through messaging applications. Financial investigations traced more than $2.4 million in suspected criminal proceeds, much of which was allegedly laundered through cryptocurrency transactions.
Authorities also dismantled a malicious mobile loan application scheme in Tanzania, disrupted a social media-based vehicle import fraud network in Gabon and arrested 30 suspects linked to a cybercrime operation in the Republic of Congo.
The operation received support from private-sector partners, including Group-IB, Kaspersky, Fortinet, Team Cymru, Uppsala Security and Meta, which provided intelligence, technical analysis and operational expertise.
Interpol said several investigations remain active, with authorities continuing to identify additional suspects, trace illicit proceeds and analyse digital evidence seized during the operation.
The organisation has stressed that international cooperation is essential to counter criminal networks that exploit differences in national laws, investigative capabilities and information-sharing systems.
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