Lyon, France: Artificial intelligence has become one of the most significant enablers of cybercrime across Africa, with nearly 55 percent of reported cybercrime incidents now involving AI, according to INTERPOL’s African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026. The report warns that AI is making cyberattacks faster, more sophisticated, highly scalable, and increasingly difficult for victims, financial institutions, and digital platforms to detect. It says cybercrime in Africa has evolved from isolated criminal acts into an industrialised, borderless ecosystem where organised groups leverage AI to conduct phishing campaigns, identity theft, financial fraud, ransomware attacks, and digital extortion on an unprecedented scale.
The 40-page assessment is based on survey responses from 36 African member countries along with intelligence contributed by multiple cybersecurity partners. According to INTERPOL, Africa had more than 1.1 billion mobile subscribers by 2025, accelerating the adoption of digital services, online banking, and mobile payment platforms. However, fragmented cybercrime legislation across the continent and limited AI readiness among law enforcement agencies have created opportunities for increasingly sophisticated cybercriminal operations.
The report identifies East Africa as a major hotspot for mobile money fraud and ransomware attacks targeting critical digital infrastructure. Central and West Africa continue to experience widespread Business Email Compromise (BEC) schemes and romance scams targeting both businesses and individuals. Southern Africa, with its high level of digital connectivity, has emerged as an attractive target for global cybercriminal groups seeking to maximise operational disruption and financial gains.
INTERPOL estimates that cybercrime-related financial losses across Africa have more than doubled since 2024, rising from approximately ₹1,680 crore to nearly ₹4,235 crore. The sharp increase has been largely attributed to AI-enabled online fraud, credential harvesting, automated social engineering campaigns, and large-scale digital scams. During 2025, online scams remained the most frequently reported form of cybercrime, with attackers extensively exploiting mobile money platforms, social media networks, and AI-powered tools to reach potential victims.
The report further reveals that 72 percent of surveyed countries confirmed the presence of organised scam centres operating within their jurisdictions. The highest concentration of such facilities was reported in Southern and West Africa, where organised criminal networks allegedly conduct cross-border financial fraud and cyber-enabled scams targeting victims around the world.
INTERPOL also highlighted a significant rise in digital sextortion and online harassment facilitated by AI-generated deepfakes and synthetic media. According to cybersecurity partner TrendAI, approximately 600,000 digital sextortion detections were recorded during the assessment period. Business Email Compromise attacks have also become significantly more sophisticated, with AI being used to generate highly convincing emails that target businesses and individuals in Europe and North America while leveraging infrastructure spread across multiple jurisdictions.
The report warns that the absence of real-time information sharing between banks, telecommunications companies, and law enforcement agencies remains a critical weakness in combating financial cybercrime. Criminal groups are no longer relying solely on stolen credentials. Instead, they are creating AI-generated synthetic identities by combining genuine personal information with fabricated details. These fake digital identities are reportedly being used to open bank accounts, obtain mobile loans, and register SIM cards under false identities, making financial fraud increasingly difficult to detect.
Renowned cybercrime expert and former IPS officer Prof. Triveni Singh said AI has transformed cybercrime into a far more dangerous and scalable threat. He noted that criminals can now deploy deepfakes, synthetic identities, automated phishing campaigns, and AI-driven social engineering techniques to target thousands of victims simultaneously. He stressed that law enforcement agencies must strengthen AI-assisted investigations, digital forensic capabilities, and international intelligence-sharing mechanisms instead of relying solely on conventional investigative methods.
INTERPOL Cybercrime Director Neal Jetton said cybercrime has become one of the most serious criminal threats facing the region, with AI automating every stage of an attack—from reconnaissance and phishing to extortion and operational concealment. However, he emphasised that coordinated international cooperation continues to produce tangible results by identifying, disrupting, and dismantling cybercriminal infrastructure.
The report notes that 17 African countries introduced or amended cybercrime legislation during 2025. INTERPOL-coordinated operations, including Operation Serengeti 2.0, Operation Contender 3.0, Operation Sentinel, and Operation Red Card 2.0, resulted in more than 1,500 arrests, the seizure of hundreds of digital devices, and the recovery of over ₹875 crore. The report recommends expanding digital forensic capabilities, strengthening cross-border cooperation, investing in AI literacy for law enforcement personnel, and promoting stronger public-private partnerships to improve cybercrime prevention, detection, and response.
About the author — Suvedita Nath is a science student with a growing interest in cybercrime and digital safety. She writes on online activity, cyber threats, and technology-driven risks. Her work focuses on clarity, accuracy, and public awareness.
