Law enforcement agencies from 16 African nations have spearheaded an international cybercrime operation against online scams that has resulted in 651 arrests and the recovery of over $4.3 million. According to INTERPOL, the program, code-named Operation Red Card 2.0, was carried out from December 8, 2025, to January 30, 2026. It focused on the actors and infrastructure responsible for fraudulent mobile loan applications, mobile money fraud, and high-yield investment scams.

Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Chad, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe were among the nations that took part in the law enforcement operation. It was carried out as part of the African Joint Operation against Cybercrime (AFJOC).

According to an INTERPOL press release, "during the eight-week operation, investigations exposed scams linked to over USD 45 million in financial losses and identified 1,247 victims, predominantly from the African continent but also from other regions of the world." Authorities also removed 1,442 malicious IPs, domains, and servers, as well as other associated infrastructure, and seized 2,341 devices during the operation. The following is a list of some of the noteworthy cases: Nigerian authorities broke up a high-yield investment fraud ring that enlisted young people to commit cyber-enabled crimes through social engineering, phishing, identity theft, and fraudulent digital asset investment schemes.

Over 1,000 phony social media profiles were removed.

Nigerian authorities arrested six members of a sophisticated cybercrime syndicate for using stolen staff login credentials to breach a major telecommunications provider's internal platform. The plan was to steal "significant volumes of airtime and data for illegal resale." In connection with a scam that used social media, messaging apps, and fake testimonials to trick victims into making phony investments by promising them enormous returns, Kenyan authorities have arrested 27 people.

To maintain the scam, victims were prevented from making any withdrawals but were shown fake account statements or dashboards.

In order to disrupt a predatory mobile loan fraud scheme that primarily targeted vulnerable populations with phony mobile applications and messaging services, promising them unsecured loans and then trapping them with additional fees, abusive debt-collection practices, and theft of sensitive personal and financial data, Côte d'Ivoire authorities arrested 58 people and seized 240 mobile phones, 25 laptops, and over 300 SIM cards. "With their false promises, these organized cybercriminal syndicates cause devastating financial and psychological harm to individuals, businesses, and entire communities," stated Neal Jetton, director of the Cybercrime Directorate at INTERPOL. "Operation Red Card emphasizes how crucial cooperation is in the fight against transnational cybercrime.

I urge all victims of cybercrime to seek assistance from law enforcement.Nearly a year has passed since INTERPOL announced that 306 suspects had been arrested and 1,842 devices had been seized during the first wave of the operation, which took place between November 2024 and February 2025. This is the second phase of Red Card.