INTERPOL says a coordinated cybercrime crackdown has led to arrests of 1,462 suspects and the recovery of more than $105 million, also reported as Sh13.6 billion, in illicit funds. Dubbed Operation Serengeti III, the operation ran from June 29 to August 31, 2026, targeting cyber-enabled fraud, ransomware, business email compromise, online scams and digital extortion across Africa and beyond. INTERPOL said authorities disrupted 10,909 malicious networks and identified 65,929 victims targeted by cybercriminal groups. It added that financial investigations linked the activity to losses exceeding $385 million, also reported as Sh50 billion. Investigators from 20 African countries and the United States received intelligence before the operation, including suspicious domains, IP addresses and command-and-control infrastructure tied to suspected criminal networks. Uganda recorded major enforcement actions, with authorities dismantling two transnational fraud rings and arresting 365 foreign nationals linked to online investment and pension fraud schemes. Investigators described a rotating call-centre operation using scripted communications, fake trading platforms and fraudulent websites to persuade pensioners to invest in non-existent opportunities. In Angola, authorities dismantled two illegal cryptocurrency mining centres, arrested nine suspects and seized more than 2,000 cryptocurrency mining devices, alongside six illegal power substations. The seized electrical infrastructure was valued at more than $1 million, reported as Sh129.8 million. Nigeria saw arrests tied to phishing and business email compromise, with a suspect linked to harvesting software credentials and amassing about 2.1 million email addresses. Another Nigerian investigation targeted an international investment fraud promoted through messaging applications, with financial investigations tracing more than $2.4 million in suspected criminal proceeds, much of it allegedly laundered through cryptocurrency transactions. Authorities also recovered a luxury vehicle suspected to have been acquired using criminal proceeds. Elsewhere, authorities dismantled a malicious mobile loan application scheme in Tanzania, disrupted a social media-based vehicle import fraud network in Gabon, and arrested 30 suspects linked to a cybercrime operation in the Republic of Congo. INTERPOL said the operation received support from cybersecurity and technology organisations including Group-IB, Kaspersky, Fortinet, Team Cymru, Uppsala Security, Cybercrime Atlas, Meta and the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, plus Zimbabwe’s postal and telecommunications regulator. Several investigations connected to the crackdown remain active as authorities continue identifying additional suspects, tracing illicit funds and analysing seized digital evidence.