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Artificial intelligence apparently is behind the majority of cybercrime incidents in the African continent, accomplishing attacks more rapidly and stealthily.
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The perpetrators use AI technologies to create absurd IDs that can circumvent biometric controls effectively.
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The costs due to cybercrime have grown significantly more than twice since the year 2O24, resulting in the total chain of losses of $484 million in this short time frame.
Africa’s digital transformation is growing at record speed. However, along with this growth, there is also a tsunami of cybercrime happening across the continent.
According to a recent INTERPOL report, this reality is becoming very troubling. The use of artificial intelligence is now responsible for more than half of all cybercrimes reported in Africa.
Cybercrime Evolves Into a Borderless Ecosystem with AI at the Center
INTERPOL’s 2026 African Cyberthreat Assessment Report is very clear. Cybercrime has moved from being an occasional affair to an organized and borderless system.
This 40-page report relies on survey results from 36 African member countries. It indicates that 55% of cybercrimes detected include the use of AI in some form.
Africa’s quick shift to digital is changing everything. By 2025, the continent will have over 1.1 billion mobile subscriptions. That’s huge, and it opens the door to all sorts of innovation and business growth. But it also means there are many more potential victims for cybercriminals.
According to Neal Jetton, who leads INTERPOL’s Cybercrime unit, “Cybercrime has become one of the most significant criminal threats in the region. AI has automated the entire process of cyberattacks, from reconnaissance, phishing, to extortion and evasion.”
The Rising Cost of Cybercrime
The financial damage is enormous, with cybercrime-related losses increasing two times the value recorded in 2024, jumping from $192 million to $484 million.
What’s driving this massive increase? AI-powered scams, credential theft, and social engineering campaign automation are on the rise. Online scams top the charts as the most common cybercrime in 2025. Criminals love using mobile money apps, social platforms, and AI tools to find new victims.
Also, the report found that 72% of surveyed countries reported the presence of organized scam centers. Southern and West Africa have the highest concentration of these operations.
Different Parts of Africa Face Different Threats
Different regions face different dangers. East Africa has emerged as a hub for mobile money fraud and ransomware attacks targeting infrastructure.
Business email compromise and romance scams are widespread in Central and West Africa. These schemes target both companies and individual victims.
Southern Africa’s ultra-high connectivity makes it a magnet for global threat actors. They want maximum disruption with minimum effort.
Meanwhile, financial services, telecommunications, and government institutions are the hardest hit sectors.
AI: The Criminal’s New Best Friend
Numbers speak for themselves. Sextortion and harassment via digital technology are still prevalent, with the emergence of AI-enabled deepfakes further complicating this crime.
INTERPOL partner TrendAI detected some 600,000 sextortion cases. That’s just what they could track. Business email compromise schemes have become much more sophisticated. Some hackers now send out shockingly convincing emails created using AI.
In addition, attackers in Africa aren’t just targeting people within the continent, but also going after victims in Europe and North America. They use infrastructure spread across multiple countries.
Perhaps most alarming: criminals are bypassing biometric security checks. They are creating synthetic identities that combine real personal information with fabricated elements.
These digital personas created using AI can open bank accounts. They can secure mobile loans. They can even register SIM cards under false names.
The report warns that the absence of real-time data sharing between telecoms, banks, and law enforcement creates a dangerous blind spot. Criminals are exploiting this gap.
Signs of Progress in the Fight Against Cybercrime
There is some good news. In 2025, 17 states either passed or amended legislation related to cybercrime. Senegal has established an online reporting portal in response to cybercrimes against children.
Operational cooperation is also working. Four high-impact INTERPOL operations made a real difference. Operation Serengeti 2.0, Operation Sentinel, and Operation Red Card 2.0 led to more than 1,500 arrests.
These operations resulted in the seizure of hundreds of devices. They also helped recover over USD 100 million. The operations are part of ongoing efforts; a separate INTERPOL sweep across Africa recently netted 574 arrests for fraud and dark web crimes.
The Way Forward
INTERPOL’s report makes several recommendations. African countries need standardized digital forensic capabilities. They need enhanced cross-border cooperation.
Law enforcement officers need investment in AI literacy. Formal public-private partnerships are essential for effective prevention. Additionally, detection and response systems must be strengthened.
Jetton said that cooperation between countries can help to better identify, disrupt, and dismantle cybercriminal infrastructures. That cooperation is more urgent than ever. AI is not going away. And neither are the criminals who use it.
