INTERPOL Operation Red Card 2.0 African Cybercrime Crackdown
INTERPOL’s Operation Red Card 2.0, coordinated under the African Joint Operation against Cybercrime (AFJOC), resulted in 651 arrests across 16 African countries and the recovery of over $4.3 million tied to online scam activity. The operation ran from December 8, 2025 to January 30, 2026, identified 1,247 victims, and targeted criminal activity linked to over $45 million in losses, including high-yield investment fraud, mobile money fraud, and fraudulent mobile loan applications.
Law enforcement reported significant disruption activity, including the seizure of 2,341 devices and takedowns of 1,442 malicious IPs/domains/servers (and related infrastructure). Notable actions included Nigeria dismantling an investment-fraud ring that leveraged phishing, identity theft, and social engineering (with 1,000+ fraudulent social media accounts removed) and arresting six suspects accused of breaching a major telecom provider using compromised staff credentials to steal airtime/data for resale; Kenya arrested 27 suspects tied to social-media/messaging-driven fraud schemes; and Côte d’Ivoire arrested 58 suspects linked to predatory loan-app activity with hidden fees and abusive collection practices.
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