Artificial intelligence is now driving more than half of reported cybercrimes across Africa, enabling criminals to launch faster, more sophisticated and harder-to-detect attacks, according to the newly released INTERPOL African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026.
The report paints a stark picture of a rapidly evolving cybercrime landscape, warning that Africa’s digital transformation is being matched by an equally aggressive surge in AI-powered criminal activity. With more than 1.1 billion mobile subscribers recorded across the continent in 2025, INTERPOL said expanding digital connectivity has created new opportunities for innovation while exposing millions of users to increasingly complex cyber threats.
Drawing on survey responses from 36 African member countries, the 40-page assessment concludes that cybercrime has shifted from isolated incidents to an industrial-scale, cross-border criminal enterprise powered by artificial intelligence, automation and sophisticated online infrastructure.
According to the report, 55 per cent of reported cybercrimes across Africa now involve AI technologies, allowing criminals to automate phishing campaigns, scale online fraud, generate convincing fake identities and evade detection by financial institutions and law enforcement agencies.
The financial consequences have been severe. INTERPOL said cybercrime-related losses across Africa have more than doubled since 2024, rising from 192 million U.S. dollars to 484 million dollars, largely driven by AI-enabled scams, credential theft and automated social engineering attacks.
Online scams remained the most frequently reported cybercrime in 2025, with fraudsters exploiting mobile money platforms, social media networks and AI-generated content to deceive victims. The report found that 72 per cent of surveyed countries identified the existence of scam centres, with the highest concentration recorded in Southern and West Africa.
INTERPOL also highlighted the growing threat posed by AI-generated deepfakes and synthetic media, which are increasingly being used to facilitate digital sextortion and online harassment. Data from cybersecurity partner TrendAI recorded approximately 600,000 sextortion detections, underscoring the scale of the problem.
Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks have also become significantly more sophisticated. The report said cybercriminals are now using artificial intelligence to produce highly convincing business correspondence, enabling Africa-based threat actors to target companies and individuals in Europe and North America through infrastructure spread across multiple jurisdictions.
Another emerging concern identified in the assessment is the use of AI to create synthetic digital identities. By combining genuine personal information with fabricated data, cybercriminals are reportedly bypassing biometric verification systems to open bank accounts, obtain mobile loans and register SIM cards under false identities.
INTERPOL warned that fragmented cybercrime legislation across Africa and limited AI readiness among law enforcement agencies continue to undermine efforts to combat these rapidly evolving threats. It noted that the absence of real-time information sharing among banks, telecommunications companies and security agencies has created significant vulnerabilities that criminals continue to exploit.
The report identified regional patterns in cybercrime activity across the continent. East Africa has emerged as a hotspot for mobile money fraud and ransomware attacks targeting critical infrastructure. Central and West Africa continue to experience widespread business email compromise and romance scams aimed at both corporate and individual victims, while Southern Africa’s high internet penetration has made it an attractive target for international cybercriminal groups seeking maximum disruption.
Despite the challenges, INTERPOL pointed to encouraging progress in strengthening cyber resilience across Africa. During 2025, 17 African countries enacted or updated cybercrime legislation, including Senegal’s introduction of an online reporting platform designed to improve responses to online offences affecting children.
Operational collaboration has also produced tangible results. INTERPOL said four major multinational operations—Operation Serengeti 2.0, Operation Contender 3.0, Operation Sentinel and Operation Red Card 2.0—led to more than 1,500 arrests, the seizure of hundreds of electronic devices and the recovery of over 100 million U.S. dollars linked to cybercrime.
Commenting on the findings, Neal Jetton, Director of INTERPOL’s Cybercrime Directorate, warned that artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing the nature of cybercrime.
“Cybercrime has emerged as one of the most significant criminal threats to the region. AI is automating every stage of a cyberattack from reconnaissance and phishing to extortion and evasion.”
Jetton, however, stressed that coordinated international action remains effective against cybercriminal networks.
“However, we see that when countries work together, cybercriminal infrastructure can be identified, disrupted and dismantled.”
To address the growing threat, INTERPOL called for stronger digital forensic capabilities, enhanced cross-border cooperation, greater investment in AI literacy for law enforcement officers and deeper public-private partnerships to improve cybercrime prevention, detection and response.
The African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026 forms part of INTERPOL’s African Joint Operation against Cybercrime initiative, funded by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with technical contributions from cybersecurity partners including Fortinet, Mastercard, the Shadowserver Foundation, S2W and TrendAI.
