African law enforcement agencies have arrested 651 suspects and recovered more than $4.3 million during a large international operation targeting investment fraud, mobile money scams, and fake loan application schemes.
According to INTERPOL, the operation known as Operation Red Card 2.0 identified 1,247 victims between December 8 and January 30 while investigating cybercrime networks responsible for more than $45 million in financial losses. The coordinated effort involved authorities from 16 countries working together under the African Joint Operation against Cybercrime (AFJOC).
During the operation, investigators seized 2,341 electronic devices and shut down 1,442 malicious websites, servers, and domains used to carry out online fraud campaigns. In Nigeria, police dismantled an investment fraud network that recruited young individuals to conduct phishing attacks, identity theft, and fake investment scams. Authorities also arrested members of a cybercrime group accused of breaching a major telecommunications provider using stolen employee credentials and removed over 1,000 fraudulent social media accounts linked to the scheme.
Kenyan authorities arrested 27 suspects connected to fraud networks that used social media and messaging platforms to lure victims into fake investment opportunities. Meanwhile, in Côte d’Ivoire, law enforcement detained 58 individuals involved in predatory mobile loan applications that imposed hidden charges and used aggressive debt collection tactics against victims.
INTERPOL’s Cybercrime Directorate head Neal Jetton said organized cybercriminal groups cause serious financial and psychological harm through deceptive schemes and emphasized the importance of international cooperation in combating cross-border cybercrime. Operation Red Card 2.0 follows last year’s phase of the initiative, which resulted in 306 arrests, and adds to a series of large-scale efforts such as Operation Serengeti and Operation Africa Cyber Surge aimed at disrupting cybercriminal networks across the continent.
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