LYON, France – South Africa has joined a continent-wide operation led by INTERPOL that resulted in the arrest of 1,209 suspected cybercriminals and the recovery of nearly USD 100 million.

The three-month campaign, known as Operation Serengeti 2.0, ran from June to August 2025 across 18 African countries and the United Kingdom. Investigators targeted high-impact crimes such as ransomware, online scams, and business email compromise, all of which have increasingly affected individuals and businesses in South Africa.

Authorities dismantled more than 11,400 malicious online infrastructures, including fraudulent domains and command-and-control servers used to carry out attacks. Intelligence was shared among participating countries before the operation, enabling coordinated arrests and seizures.

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Major cases revealed

• Angola: Police uncovered 25 illegal cryptocurrency mining centres run by 60 Chinese nationals. Equipment worth more than USD 37 million was seized, along with 45 illicit power stations.
• Zambia: Investigators exposed an online investment fraud that lured 65,000 victims into fake cryptocurrency schemes, with losses estimated at USD 300 million. Fifteen suspects were arrested.
• Zambia (Lusaka): Joint teams disrupted a human trafficking network, confiscating 372 forged passports.
• Côte d’Ivoire: Authorities arrested a key suspect behind a transnational inheritance scam that tricked victims into paying fees for non-existent inheritances. The scheme caused losses of USD 1.6 million.

INTERPOL Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza said the results highlight the importance of cross-border cooperation:

“Each INTERPOL-coordinated operation builds on the last, deepening cooperation, increasing information sharing and developing investigative skills across member countries. This global network is stronger than ever, safeguarding victims.”

South African investigators, along with their counterparts across the continent, received hands-on training in open-source intelligence, cryptocurrency tracing, and ransomware analysis before the operation. This training directly improved their ability to identify offenders and act on digital evidence.

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Why it matters for South Africans

South Africa has witnessed a rise in online scams, phishing, and fraudulent investment schemes. The country’s participation in Operation Serengeti 2.0 signals a stronger focus on cybercrime enforcement, with lessons from the crackdown expected to improve local investigations and victim protection.

The operation was supported by global cybersecurity firms and law enforcement partners under the African Joint Operation against Cybercrime, funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Participating countries included: Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Côte D’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Seychelles, Tanzania, United Kingdom, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

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