Interpol has carried out a continent-wide operation that led to the arrest of 260 people in 14 African countries, targeting networks behind online romance scams and extortion schemes that cheated more than 1,400 victims out of nearly $2.8 million.
According to DW Africa, the coordinated crackdown underscores the rising threat of cyber fraud, which increasingly preys on vulnerable individuals around the world.
Ghana emerged as a major hotspot, where authorities arrested 68 suspects, seized 835 electronic devices, and identified 108 victims.
Losses were estimated at $450,000, with about $70,000 recovered. Investigators revealed that scammers used fake profiles, stolen photos, and forged identities to lure victims into fraudulent online relationships.
Tactics included demands for fake courier charges and customs fees, as well as “sextortion,” where intimate videos recorded during explicit chats were later used for blackmail.
In Senegal, police detained 22 people linked to a network that impersonated celebrities on social media and dating sites.
Their schemes tricked 120 victims into handing over roughly $34,000. Officers confiscated 65 devices, fake IDs, and money transfer records during raids.
Meanwhile, in Côte d’Ivoire, a cybercrime ring specialising in blackmail was dismantled.
The group created fake profiles, pressured targets into sharing intimate images, then demanded money to avoid exposure. Police arrested 24 suspects, seized 29 devices, and identified an alarming 809 victims.
Authorities in Angola also arrested eight individuals who had exploited 28 victims both locally and abroad. The suspects relied on forged documents and false identities to carry out their fraud.
Interpol said the results of the operation highlight the global scale of online romance fraud and scammers, which manipulates trust and emotions for financial gain.
The agency vowed to strengthen cross-border cooperation and intelligence-sharing to disrupt the criminal networks behind these scams.
