Title: INTERPOL Busts Nigerian Cybercrime Hubs in Africa-Wide Sting, Recovers $4.3m Date Published: 20 February 2026 Description: An Africa-wide cybercrime crackdown led by INTERPOL has uncovered major fraud hubs in Nigeria and other countries, leading to the recovery of about $4.3 million and the exposure of scams responsible for more than $45 million in losses worldwide.The operation, code-named Operation Red Card 2.0, was conducted between December 8, 2025, and January 30, 2026, targeting organised criminal syndicates involved in high-yield investment fraud, mobile money scams and fraudulent digital lending schemes.Authorities from 17 African countries—Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Chad, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe—participated in the eight-week coordinated enforcement action.According to investigators, the operation identified at least 1,247 victims, mostly across Africa but with several cases extending beyond the continent. Law enforcement agencies also seized 2,341 electronic devices and dismantled 1,442 malicious IP addresses, servers and digital domains used to perpetrate the crimes.Speaking on the outcome of the operation, Neal Jetton, INTERPOL’s Director of Cybercrime, warned of the devastating impact of organised digital fraud.“These organized cybercriminal syndicates inflict devastating financial and psychological harm on individuals, businesses and entire communities with their false promises,” Jetton said.“Operation Red Card highlights the importance of collaboration when combatting transnational cybercrime.”Nigeria emerged as a major focus of the crackdown, with security agencies dismantling a large-scale investment fraud network that recruited young people to conduct phishing attacks, identity theft and fake cryptocurrency investment schemes.Investigators also uncovered a residential property used as a central command hub for the syndicate and shut down more than 1,000 fraudulent social media accounts linked to the operation.In a separate development, Nigerian authorities arrested six members of another cybercrime group accused of infiltrating the internal systems of a telecommunications company using compromised staff credentials. The syndicate allegedly siphoned airtime and data, which were then resold illegally.Elsewhere on the continent, Kenyan authorities arrested 27 suspects linked to elaborate investment scams that relied on messaging apps, fake online testimonials and promises of unusually high returns to deceive victims.In Côte d’Ivoire, security agencies recorded 58 arrests connected to mobile loan fraud schemes that targeted low-income and vulnerable individuals with deceptive lending platforms.INTERPOL said the success of Operation Red Card 2.0 was driven by extensive intelligence sharing and close cooperation with private-sector partners, including cybersecurity firms and blockchain intelligence providers, underscoring the increasingly complex and technical nature of modern cybercrime.The operation, the agency noted, reflects Africa’s growing capacity to confront digital financial crime at a time when expanding internet access, mobile banking and digital payment systems are transforming economies—while simultaneously creating new security risks across the continent. Attached Images: 47752723c7369560d96d9b1510c722b04aff63523df9bc14e08ac6a88bda51cb.jpg Attached Video: None