Over $4.3M recovered in global clampdown on African cybercrime

Interpol has announced the retrieval of more than $4.3 million in illicit cybercrime proceeds and the arrests of 651 suspected cybercriminals across Africa as part of the international Operation Red Card 2.0 effort conducted between December 2025 and January 2026, reports The Hacker News.

Operation Red Card 2.0, which was conducted under the African Joint Operation against Cybercrime, also resulted in the disruption of 1,442 illicit IP addresses, servers, domains, and other attack infrastructure, as well as the forfeiture of 2,341 devices, according to Interpol. Most prominent of the takedown activities include separate Nigerian law enforcement initiatives dismantling over 1,000 fake social media accounts involved in a high-yield investment fraud operation and apprehending half a dozen individuals part of an advanced cybercrime syndicate that had compromised a leading telecommunications firm.

"These organized cybercriminal syndicates inflict devastating financial and psychological harm on individuals, businesses, and entire communities with their false promises," said Interpol Cybercrime Directorate Head Neal Jetton. Such a development comes almost a year after Interpol disclosed the arrest of 306 suspects in the first phase of Operation Red Card.