Another month, another sweeping cybercrime crackdown across Africa, and once again, Kenya and Nigeria are right in the middle of it.
In its latest coordinated effort, INTERPOL says Operation Red Card 2.0 (December 8, 2025 – January 30, 2026) led to 651 arrests, the recovery of over USD 4.3 million, and the takedown of 1,442 malicious IPs, domains, and servers across 16 African countries. During the previous Operation Red Card 1.0, INTERPOL made over 300 arrests.
But beyond the headline numbers, the contrast between Nigeria’s infrastructure-heavy busts and Kenya’s targeted arrest wave tells a deeper story about how cybercrime is evolving on the continent.
Nigeria: 1,000+ fake accounts wiped, telecom platform infiltrated
If scale is the metric, Nigeria delivered the biggest digital blow.
Authorities dismantled a high-yield investment fraud ring that relied on phishing, identity theft, social engineering, and fake digital asset schemes. Over 1,000 fraudulent social media accounts were taken down, and investigators uncovered a residential property constructed by the syndicate ringleader that served as an operational hub.
In a separate breakthrough, six members of a cybercrime syndicate were arrested for infiltrating the internal platform of a major telecommunications provider using compromised staff credentials — siphoning airtime and data for illegal resale.
The operation underscores what Neal Jetton described as the organized nature of these networks.
“These organized cybercriminal syndicates inflict devastating financial and psychological harm on individuals, businesses and entire communities with their false promises,” Jetton said, adding that Operation Red Card “highlights the importance of collaboration when combatting transnational cybercrime.”
Nigeria’s results build on momentum from previous INTERPOL-backed operations in 2025, including Operation Serengeti 2.0 and Operation Sentinel, where the country also played a central role in dismantling ransomware and fraud networks.
Kenya: 27 arrests tied to fake ‘global investment’ schemes
Kenya’s footprint in Operation Red Card 2.0 was smaller in raw numbers, with only 27 arrests. But the tactics involved are deeply familiar to local internet users.
According to INTERPOL, Kenyan suspects used messaging apps, social media platforms, and fictitious testimonials to lure victims into investing in what appeared to be reputable global corporations. Entry points were deliberately low, sometimes as little as USD 50 (~ KES 6,500), with promises of lucrative returns.
Victims were shown fabricated dashboards and account statements to simulate profits. But when it came time to withdraw funds? Access was systematically blocked.
It’s a textbook high-yield investment scam, one that mirrors patterns previously seen across Africa. During Operation Sentinel in December 2025, 574 suspects were arrested continent-wide in a separate crackdown targeting BEC, ransomware, and digital extortion schemes. Kenya was among the participating countries then, too.
Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Benin, and others: The broader sweep
Elsewhere on the continent, the dragnet was equally significant:
- Côte d’Ivoire: 58 arrests linked to mobile loan fraud, with 240 mobile phones, 25 laptops, and 300+ SIM cards seized. These scams targeted vulnerable users with promises of quick, unsecured loans before deploying abusive debt collection tactics.
- Nigeria (separate case): Beyond the 1,000-account takedown, authorities disrupted telecom-level abuse infrastructure.
- Benin (Operation Sentinel): 106 arrests and 4,318 social media accounts shut down.
- Ghana (Operation Contender 3.0): 68 arrests in romance scams and sextortion cases.
- Zambia (Operation Serengeti 2.0): 65,000 victims identified in a crypto-linked investment scheme.
In total, Operation Red Card 2.0 exposed scams tied to over USD 45 million in financial losses and identified 1,247 victims, mostly within Africa but extending globally.
Over the past year alone, INTERPOL-coordinated operations in Africa have resulted in:
- 1,209 arrests (Operation Serengeti 2.0)
- 574 arrests (Operation Sentinel)
- 260 arrests (Operation Contender 3.0)
- 651 arrests (Operation Red Card 2.0)
As Jetton put it, victims shouldn’t stay silent:
“I encourage all victims of cybercrime to reach out to law enforcement for help.”
Sure, the infrastructure behind scams, from fake dashboards to hijacked telecom systems, is getting more sophisticated. But so is the cross-border response.
