Interpol arrest 1,462 suspects for yahoo-yahoo and cybercrime across Africa

One major operation wey law enforcement agency from 21 countries carry out to tackle cybercrime, ransomware, business email compromise and yahoo-yahoo across Africa don lead to di arrest of 1,462 suspects.

Di International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) wey lead di Operation wey dem name Serengeti III, tok say citizens from Nigeria, Uganda, Angola, Tanzania, dey among di suspects dem arrest for cyber fraud.

For statement on Thursday, 22 October, di security agency say dem dismantle 10,909 harmful networks and recover more dan 105 million US dollars wey cybercriminals bin obtain illegally for di operation wey dem carry out between June to August 2026.

"Authorities identify 65,929 victims wey cybercriminal networks bin dey target, wey dat show widespread and sophisticated today digital threats don bicom. Financial investigations also link di criminal activities to losses of more dan $385 million", Interpol add.

According to Interpol, di operation dey come as dia African Cyber Threat Assessment Report 2026 show say cyber threats for Africa dey change fast-fast.

Di report tok say artificial intelligence (AI) dey help cybercriminals carry out dia activities across di continent well-well, as di amount of money wey pipo and organisations dey lose to cyber-enabled fraud and crime continue to dey rise.

Bifor dis operation, dem provide investigators from 20 African countries di United States wit actionable intelligence on suspicious domains, IP addresses and command-and-control infrastructure wey dey linked to criminal activity.

"Cybercrime networks dey operate without regard for borders, e dey exploit technology to target victims on a very high scale," Interpol Director of Cybercrime Neal Jetton tok.

Wetin Interpol find and which kontris dey involved

Interpol wey be inter-govmental organization get 196 member kontris and dia work na to help police for all dia "member kontris to work togeda, share and access data on crimes and criminals."

Operation Serengeti III get di support of private-sector partners to disrupt cybercriminal networks wey dey operate across Africa. Na dem provide di ogbonge intelligence, technical analysis and operational expertise, and dem dey help authorities identify targets, map criminal networks, and support investigative activities across di region, Oga Jetton tok.

For Uganda, Interpol say dem dismantle two transnational fraud rings and dem arrest 365 foreign nationals wey get links to one sophisticated online investment and pension fraud schemes wey dey target victims across Asia.

Dem say investigators bin expose one rotating call-centre model wey dey use scripted communications, fake trading platforms plus fraudulent websites to deceive pensioners to invest for opportunities wey no dey exist.

Angola, Interpol authorities dismantle two illegal cryptocurrency mining centres.

Dem arrest nine suspects and seize more dan 2,000 cryptocurrency mining devices plus six illegal power transformation stations. Dem say di seized electrical infrastructure alone dey valued at more dan one million dollars.

Nigeria, authorities arrest one suspect dem say dey behind one big phishing and Business Email Compromise (BEC) scam.

Interpol say di operation collect software login details and gada about 2.1 million email addresses. Investigators also recover one expensive motor wey dem suspect say na wit money from di fraud dem use buy am.

For anoda separate investigation for Nigeria, Interpol say dem burst one international investment fraud scheme wey 419 pipo dey promote through messaging apps, and e lead to di arrest of one suspect.

"Financial investigations show di movement of more dan 2.4 million dollars for suspected criminal proceeds, most of which dem launder through cryptocurrency transactions", di statement add.

Tanzania, Interpol say authorities dismantle one malicious mobile loan application scheme for di East Africa kontri.

Gabon, dem scata one social media-based vehicle import fraud network.

Republic of Congo, Interpol say dem arrest 30 suspects wey dem link to one cybercrime operation for di West Africa nation.

Interpol say Operation Serengeti III still dey very active, and authorities still dey try to identify additional suspects, trace illicit proceeds and analyze digital evidence dem seize during di operation.

According to Interpol, dia operation cut across intelligence sharing and training wey help di money laundering investigations for di kontris.

Kontris wey dey involved for dis collabo na: Austria, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Côte d'Ivoire, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States.