Interpol reports AI drives majority of cybercrime across Africa
Interpol’s African Cyberthreat Assessment Report finds that artificial intelligence now powers 55 % of reported cybercrimes on the continent. The agency says AI automates every stage of attacks—from phishing and deep‑fake extortion to synthetic‑identity fraud—making them faster, more scalable and harder to detect.
Financial damage has surged, with direct losses climbing from $192 million in 2024 to $484 million in 2025, a 152 % rise, and total economic harm estimated at at least $5 billion for 2025. Victims rose from 35,000 to 87,000 in the same period. Mobile‑money platforms are a prime target: Kenya saw a 327 % jump in SIM‑swap fraud, issuing over 123,000 fraudulent SIMs, while its mobile‑money subscriptions hit 53.4 million and M‑Pesa processed Sh41.68 trillion.
Regional hotspots differ: East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Rwanda) faces mobile‑money fraud and ransomware; West Africa records the highest business‑email compromise, ransomware (Cabo Verde 16,997 detections, Nigeria 5,822) and sextortion; Central and West Africa report a surge in email‑compromise and romance scams; Southern Africa attracts international actors due to high connectivity. Interpol’s coordinated operations (Serengeti 2.0, Contender 3.0, Sentinel, Red Card 2.0) led to more than 1,500 arrests and the seizure of over $100 million in assets.
Entities: African nations · Interpol · Kenya · Nigeria · Senegal · South Africa
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] West Africa recorded the highest business‑email compromise activity, with Cabo Verde reporting 16,997 ransomware detections and Nigeria 5,822 in 2025. (Interpol African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Interpol coordinated four operations in 2025‑2026 that resulted in over 1,500 arrests and the seizure of more than $100 million in assets. (Interpol African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Kenya’s mobile‑money subscriptions reached 53.4 million by March 2025 and M‑Pesa processed Sh41.68 trillion in transactions. (Interpol African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] SIM‑swap fraud incidents in Kenya increased by 327 % in 2025, with more than 123,000 fraudulent SIM cards issued. (Interpol African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Cybercrime caused at least $5 billion in direct economic losses across Africa in 2025. (Interpol African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Artificial intelligence is involved in 55 % of reported cybercrimes in Africa. (Interpol African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The number of identified cybercrime victims rose from 35,000 in 2024 to 87,000 in 2025. (Interpol African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Financial losses from cyberattacks rose from $192 million in 2024 to $484 million in 2025, a 152 % increase. (Interpol African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026)