How criminals are using AI to defraud victims across Africa

…Losses hit $484m, 1,605 arrested as INTERPOL sustains crackdown

When Artificial Intelligence (AI) falls into criminal hands, innocent citizens suffer.

This is the pathetic scenario playing out in many African nations where cyber terrorists are expanding their criminal enterprises, leaving their victims languishing in anguish.

According to the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL), AI now powers more than half of reported cybercrimes across 36 African nations as phishing and mobile fraud transition into industrialised criminal enterprises.

To tackle the menace, law enforcement agencies across the continent have recorded 1,605 arrests in what is described as the largest coordinated cybercrime crackdown in Africa’s history.

According to NTERPOL’s African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026 released recently, the 40-page material noted that financial losses from cybercrime on the continent have more than doubled from $192 million in 2024 to $484 million in 2025. It added that criminals now deploy deepfakes, create synthetic identities and launch sophisticated ransomware attacks targeting governments, businesses and critical national infrastructure.

The report paints a troubling picture of a continent facing increasingly organised cybercriminal networks that are no longer focused solely on financial fraud but are now targeting essential services such as electricity, telecommunications, weather forecasting and port operations.

Among the major incidents highlighted was the ransomware attack on Uganda’s Electricity Transmission Company Limited in August 2025, which disrupted systems managing the national power grid before services were restored through backup protocols. South Africa’s Weather Service also suffered a suspected ransomware attack that affected critical meteorological systems used for aviation and maritime operations.

In Nigeria, the Nigeria Customs Service was hit by ransomware in August 2025, disrupting cargo clearance at major ports and resulting in an estimated $18 million in storage charges and import delays. Namibia’s national telecommunications provider also suffered a breach that exposed about 500,000 personal and financial records, while another attack targeted Paratus Telecom’s network infrastructure.

INTERPOL disclosed victims of cyberattacks rose from 35,000 in 2024 to 87,000 in 2025.

The organisation estimates that the actual global economic impact of cybercrime reached about $5 billion in 2025.

According to the report, cybercriminals are increasingly exploiting AI-powered tools to bypass some digital verification systems.

The report also found that 72 per cent of surveyed countries identified scam centres operating within their territories, particularly in West and Southern Africa, with many linked to organised crime syndicates and human trafficking.

Despite the worsening threat, the report highlighted significant successes recorded through multinational law enforcement operations coordinated by INTERPOL.

Four major operations carried out in 2025 and early 2026, Operation Serengeti 2.0, Operation Contender 3.0, Operation Sentinel and Operation Red Card 2.0 resulted in 1,605 arrests, the dismantling of thousands of malicious servers and criminal networks, the seizure of thousands of electronic devices and the recovery of millions of dollars in illicit proceeds.

Operation Sentinel alone led to 574 arrests, dismantled over 6,000 malicious links, recovered about $3 million, and enabled investigators in Ghana to decrypt 30 terabytes of ransomware-encrypted data.

However, INTERPOL warned that enforcement alone will not solve the problem.

The organisation said Africa continues to face major cybersecurity capacity gaps, with 94 per cent of law enforcement agencies reporting inadequate digital forensic tools, 78 per cent citing insufficient funding and only 17 per cent of countries maintaining cybercrime units with more than 100 personnel.

The report further revealed that while AI is involved in 55 per cent of cybercrime incidents, only eight per cent of intelligence analysts across Africa possess advanced expertise in detecting AI-generated content such as deepfakes and voice clones.

Another major challenge identified is poor coordination among banks, telecommunications operators and law enforcement agencies, allowing cybercriminals to move funds across jurisdictions before authorities can respond.

Neal Jetton, Director of INTERPOL’s Cybercrime Directorate, said artificial intelligence is now automating virtually every phase of cyberattacks, from reconnaissance and phishing to extortion and evasion.

He stressed that stronger regional collaboration remains critical to dismantling criminal infrastructure operating across national borders.

INTERPOL therefore called on African governments to strengthen cross-border intelligence sharing, harmonise cybercrime legislation, invest in digital forensic capabilities, expand AI training for investigators and deepen partnerships with the private sector to improve the continent’s cyber resilience.

With Africa’s digital economy continuing to expand and mobile subscriptions exceeding 1.1 billion, the report warned that cybercriminals are evolving faster than many institutions tasked with stopping them, making stronger cybersecurity measures an urgent priority across the continent.