Interpol and national police forces in 14 African countries arrested 260 suspects in a joint crackdown on online fraud networks. The operation, known as Contender 3.0, ran from July 28 to August 11 and targeted schemes ranging from romance scams to sextortion, which trick or blackmail victims into sending money.
Investigators identified 1,463 victims and nearly $2.8 million in losses. Authorities seized more than 1,200 electronic devices, forged documents, SIM cards, and dismantled 81 cybercrime groups. The suspects were traced through digital footprints, including IP addresses, social media accounts, and domain activity.
Ghana reported one of the largest operations, arresting 68 suspects and confiscating 835 devices linked to $450,000 in fraud, with $70,000 recovered. In Côte d’Ivoire, 24 suspects allegedly blackmailed more than 800 victims, while Senegalese police detained 22 people accused of impersonating celebrities to defraud 120 victims of $34,000.
Interpol coordinated the effort with funding from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and support from cybersecurity firms Group-IB and Trend Micro. Officials emphasized the growing scale of cyber-enabled crime across Africa and the importance of international cooperation in dismantling online networks.
