Artificial intelligence has become the engine of cybercrime across Africa, powering more than half of all reported digital offences on the continent, according to INTERPOL's African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026. Based on data from 36 member countries, the report found that 55% of cybercrime cases now involve AI, enabling criminal networks to launch attacks faster, at greater scale, and across multiple borders simultaneously. Financial losses linked to cybercrime more than doubled in a single year, rising from $192 million in 2024 to an estimated $484 million in 2025.

Online scams remain the most common form of cybercrime across the continent, with criminals exploiting social media platforms and mobile money services — a particularly significant vector given Africa's more than 1.1 billion mobile subscribers. Deepfake technology and AI-generated content are fuelling a surge in digital sextortion, with cybersecurity partner TrendAI detecting around 600,000 related cases. Business email compromise, where AI is used to craft highly convincing messages impersonating trusted contacts, is also on the rise, particularly in West and Central Africa. A growing and especially concerning tactic involves synthetic identities — criminals combining real stolen data with fabricated details to open bank accounts, obtain mobile loans and register SIM cards, in some cases bypassing biometric verification systems entirely. INTERPOL noted that 72% of surveyed countries reported organised scam centres operating within their borders, with the highest concentrations in West and Southern Africa.

Regional threat profiles differ markedly. East Africa has become a hotspot for mobile money fraud and ransomware attacks against critical infrastructure — a trend illustrated in Kenya, where authorities detected 3.37 billion cyber threat events in the first quarter of 2026 alone, and where hackers defaced the official website of President William Ruto in July 2026, demanding a ransom of five Bitcoins. Southern Africa's relatively advanced digital connectivity has made it an attractive target for international criminal networks, while some Africa-based groups have extended their reach to targets in Europe and North America.

INTERPOL highlighted a fundamental structural problem: weak coordination between banks, telecommunications companies and law enforcement agencies allows criminals to move stolen funds across jurisdictions before authorities can respond. Many African law enforcement bodies, the report found, remain inadequately equipped to counter AI-driven threats despite the speed at which criminal networks are adopting the technology.

There are, however, signs of progress. Seventeen African countries introduced or updated cybercrime legislation in 2025, and a series of joint international operations produced tangible results. Operation Red Card 2.0, conducted across 16 African countries between December 2025 and January 2026, led to 651 arrests and the recovery of more than $4.3 million. Broader operations, including Operation Serengeti 2.0 and Operation Synergia III — which brought together agencies from 72 countries — resulted in more than 1,500 arrests collectively and the dismantling of over 45,000 malicious servers worldwide. INTERPOL is urging governments, businesses and individuals to strengthen cybersecurity awareness and verify digital communications, warning that without deeper cross-sector cooperation, rapidly evolving AI-enabled threats will continue to outpace the continent's defences.