Between December 2025 and January 2026, Africa witnessed one of the largest cross-border crackdowns on cybercrime, resulting in the arrest of hundreds of suspects and the seizure of ملايين of dollars in what was described as a “decisive” blow against digital fraud networks.
The operation, coordinated by the INTERPOL under the name “Red Card 2.0,” ran from December 8, 2025, to January 30, 2026, and involved security agencies from 16 African countries. It led to the arrest of 651 individuals and the seizure of more than $4.3 million, in addition to the confiscation of 2,341 electronic devices and the disruption of 1,442 IP addresses, domains, and servers.
Over eight weeks of investigations, authorities uncovered fraud schemes that caused losses estimated at around $45 million and identified more than 1,200 victims, most of them in Africa.
The operation focused on the most prevalent forms of financial fraud across the continent, including high-yield investment scams, mobile money fraud, and fake loan schemes targeting vulnerable groups. Neil Jetton, Director of Cybercrime at INTERPOL, stated that these organized criminal networks inflict serious financial and psychological harm on individuals, businesses, and communities, urging victims to report such crimes.
The operation was carried out under the framework of the Joint African Operation against Cybercrime, with support from the European Union and the Council of Europe, as well as private-sector partners in the field of cybersecurity. Participating countries included Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Chad, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.