African law enforcement authorities arrest 260 cybercrime suspects

Law enforcement authorities from 14 African countries have arrested 260 cybercrime suspects and seized 1,235 electronic devices.

The arrests and seizures were part of an international operation against cybercrime, which was coordinated by Interpol.

The operation focused on transnational criminal networks that exploited social media and other digital platforms to manipulate victims and financially defraud them by running romance and sextortion scams.

During Operation Contender 3.0, which ran from July 28 until August 11, police identified IP addresses, digital infrastructures, domains, and social media profiles linked to members of the scam syndicates. Police officers seized laptops, USB drives, smartphones, SIM cards, and forged documents.

Investigators identified a total of 1,463 victims with combined estimated losses of nearly $2.8 million.

In Ghana, law enforcement authorities arrested 68 individuals, seized 835 devices, recovered $70,000, and identified 108 victims. The suspects created fake social media profiles to deceive victims.

Police officers in Senegal arrested 22 suspects and seized 65 devices. The detainees defrauded 120 victims of approximately $34,000.

With 24 arrests, 29 seized devices, and 809 victims identified, police in Cote d’Ivoire dismantled a cybercrime gang that created fake online profiles to manipulate vulnerable individuals into sharing intimate images.

In Angola authorities arrested 8 individuals and identified 28 domestic and international victims, primarily targeted via social media

“Cybercrime units across Africa are reporting a sharp rise in digital-enabled crimes such as sextortion and romance scams,” Cyril Gout, Interpol’s acting Executive Director of Police Services, said in a statement.

“The growth of online platforms has opened new opportunities for criminal networks to exploit victims, causing both financial loss and psychological harm. By working closely with our member countries and private sector partners, we remain committed to disrupting and dismantling the groups that prey on vulnerable individuals online,” he added.

Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda, and Zambia participated in Operation Contender 3.0.