Codenamed Operation Red Card 2.0, the sting ran from December 8, 2025, to January 30, 2026, focusing on high-yield investment scams, mobile money fraud, and fraudulent loan applications.
Law enforcement agencies across 16 African countries have arrested 651 suspects and recovered over $4.3 million in a major operation targeting online fraud, the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) has announced.
Codenamed Operation Red Card 2.0, the sting ran from December 8, 2025, to January 30, 2026, focusing on high-yield investment scams, mobile money fraud, and fraudulent loan applications.
Investigations revealed scams linked to more than $45 million in losses, affecting 1,247 victims, mostly in Africa.
Interpol said authorities seized 2,341 devices and 1,442 malicious IP addresses, while domains and servers used by the syndicates were dismantled.
The organisation provided intelligence sharing, real-time information exchange, and training on digital forensic tools to participating countries.
Neal Jetton, director of Interpol’s cybercrime directorate, warned that organised cybercriminal networks continue to cause significant financial and psychological harm.
He urged victims of cybercrime to contact law enforcement for assistance.
Investment Fraud Syndicate Dismantled in Nigeria
In Nigeria, police dismantled a high-yield investment fraud syndicate that recruited young people to carry out phishing, identity theft, social engineering, and fake digital asset investment schemes. Investigators shut down over 1,000 fraudulent social media accounts linked to the network and discovered a residential building used by the ringleader as an operational hub.
Separately, Nigerian authorities arrested six members of a cybercrime group accused of infiltrating a major telecommunications provider’s internal platform using compromised staff credentials.
The suspects allegedly siphoned large volumes of airtime and data for resale before the operation halted the scheme.
Major Arrests in Kenya and Côte d’Ivoire
In Kenya, 27 suspects were arrested over scams that used messaging apps, social media, and fake testimonials to lure victims into fake investments in well-known global companies.
Victims were reportedly persuaded to invest as little as $50, shown falsified dashboards, and blocked from withdrawing funds.
In Côte d’Ivoire, authorities arrested 58 suspects and seized 240 mobile phones, 25 laptops, and over 300 SIM cards in an operation targeting mobile loan fraud.
Scams involved deceptive mobile apps promising quick loans but imposing hidden fees, abusive debt-collection practices, and harvesting sensitive data.
Interpol said the operation was conducted under the African Joint Operation against Cybercrime (AFJOC), funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
Operational support was provided by the Global Action on Cybercrime Enhanced (GLACY-e) project, a joint initiative of the European Union and the Council of Europe.
Participating countries include Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Chad, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
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