Interpol, the world’s largest police network with 196 member states, coordinated a cybercrime sweep across Africa.
Authorities arrested 260 suspects in July and August for involvement in online romance and extortion schemes.
Criminals Exploited Victims Through Deception
Scammers built fake romantic ties to steal money or blackmail targets with explicit material, investigators confirmed.
Over 1,400 victims collectively lost $2.8 million in these digital fraud operations.
Country Operations Uncover Widespread Fraud
Ghanaian police detained 68 suspects who used false identities to extort money and blackmail with explicit recordings.
In Senegal, officers captured 22 suspects accused of impersonating celebrities to defraud over 100 victims of $34,000.
Côte d’Ivoire authorities arrested 24 suspects accused of using fake accounts to extort intimate images from targets.
Interpol Faces Rising Global Challenges
Interpol, headquartered in Lyon, enables cross-border police collaboration against terrorism, financial crime, and organised crime.
Officials warned that cybercrime and child exploitation now dominate their growing caseload, straining cooperation among member nations.
