260 suspected scammers arrested in pan-African cybercrime operation

Authorities in 14 African countries have arrested 260 suspects and seized 1,235 electronic devices in a coordinated international operation against cyber-enabled crime.

The crackdown targeted transnational criminal networks exploiting digital platforms, particularly social media, to manipulate victims and defraud them financially.  Specifically, the operation focused on romance scams, where perpetrators build online relationships to extract money from victims, and sextortion, in which victims are blackmailed with explicit images or videos.

During Operation Contender 3.0 (28 July – 11 August 2025), police identified IP addresses, digital infrastructures, domains and social media profiles linked to members of the scam syndicates. These leads and the subsequent arrests also resulted in the seizure of USB drives, SIM cards and forged documents, as well as the take down of 81 cybercrime infrastructures across Africa. Investigators identified 1,463 victims linked to the scams, estimating their losses at nearly USD 2.8 million.

Read more at INTERPOL