With staggering results, the operation culminated in the arrest of 1,209 cybercriminals, the take down of 11,432 malicious infrastructures, and the recovery of 97.4 million USD.
Nearly 88,000 victims were said to have been targeted, with overall financial losses worth close to $485 million.
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INTERPOL’s Operation Serengeti 2.0 dismantles thousands of cyber scam infrastructures across Africa, recovering $97 million and exposing $485 million in losses.
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The crackdown led to 1,209 arrests, including cryptocurrency miners in Angola, large-scale fraudsters in Zambia, and inheritance scammers in Côte d’Ivoire.
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Authorities from 18 African nations, the UK, and private partners took part in the three-month effort, marking one of INTERPOL’s largest cybercrime operations to date.
- “Each INTERPOL-coordinated operation builds on the last, deepening cooperation, increasing information sharing, and developing investigative skills across member countries,” said Valdecy Urquiza, Secretary General of INTERPOL.
“With more contributions and shared expertise, the results keep growing in scale and impact. This global network is stronger than ever, delivering real outcomes and safeguarding victims,” Urquiza said.
Participating in the coordinated crackdown – known as Operation Serengeti 2.0 – were cyber authorities from 18 African nations, the United Kingdom, and multiple private sector collaborators.
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Intelligence Sharing and Technological Support Driving Success
The operation benefitted from private sector partners such as TRM Labs, who provided actionable blockchain intelligence that expanded investigative reach. Leads from Ghana tied to the Bl00dy ransomware group—a Conti spin-off targeting education, healthcare, and public sectors—enabled more effective disruption of laundering infrastructure. Intelligence from Seychelles on the RansomHub ransomware group further broadened the scope of targets dismantled.
