The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) has announced the arrest of a Nigerian suspect linked to an alleged $2.4 million international fraud perpetrated through messaging apps, with proceeds allegedly laundered through cryptocurrency transactions.
This was disclosed in a statement on Thursday, October 22, 2026.
INTERPOL described the development as part of one of Africa’s largest cybercrime enforcement operations, which saw law enforcement agencies from 21 countries, including Nigeria, arrest 1,462 suspects, disrupt 10,909 malicious networks and recover more than $105 million in illicit funds.
INTERPOL’s operational highlights
In Nigeria, the agency stated that authorities had arrested a suspect behind a large-scale phishing and business email compromise operation that harvested software credentials and amassed approximately 2.1 million email addresses.
Investigators were also said to have recovered a luxury vehicle suspected of having been purchased with criminal proceeds.
- INTERPOL also disclosed that “a separate Nigerian investigation targeted an international investment fraud scheme promoted via messaging apps, leading to the arrest of a suspect.”
- According to INTERPOL, financial investigations revealed that the suspect had moved more than $2.4 million in suspected criminal proceeds, much of which was allegedly laundered through cryptocurrency transactions.
- “In Uganda, authorities dismantled two transnational fraud rings and arrested 365 foreign nationals linked to sophisticated online investment and pension fraud schemes targeting victims across Asia. Investigators uncovered a rotating call-centre model using scripted communications, fake trading platforms and fraudulent websites to deceive pensioners into investing in non-existent opportunities.
- “In Angola, investigators dismantled two illegal cryptocurrency mining centres, arresting nine suspects and seizing more than 2,000 cryptocurrency mining devices alongside six illegal power transformation stations. The seized electrical infrastructure alone was valued at more than USD 1 million,” the statement partly reads.
INTERPOl’s Operation Serengeti
The operation, tagged “Operation Serengeti III,” was conducted by participating countries between June 29 and August 31, 2026.
It targeted cyber-enabled fraud, ransomware, business email compromise (BEC), online scams and digital extortion.
- “Authorities identified 65,929 victims targeted by cybercriminal networks, underscoring the scale and sophistication of today’s digital threats. Financial investigations linked criminal activity to losses exceeding USD 385 million,” the statement added.
Ahead of the operation, INTERPOL said investigators from 20 African countries and the United States had been provided with actionable intelligence on suspicious domains, IP addresses and command-and-control infrastructure linked to criminal activity.
Operation Serengeti III was also supported by private-sector partners to disrupt cybercriminal networks operating across Africa.
The partners provided critical intelligence, technical analysis and operational expertise, helping authorities identify targets, map criminal networks and support investigative activities across the region.
INTERPOL’s Director of Cybercrime, Neal Jetton, said:
- “Cybercrime networks operate without regard for borders, exploiting technology to target victims on an unprecedented scale.”
The official maintained that although cybercrime was increasingly borderless, international cooperation remained one of the most effective tools for disrupting criminal networks, recovering criminal assets and protecting communities from digital harm.
The participating countries were Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, the United States, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Backstory
The operation follows INTERPOL’s African Cyber Threat Assessment Report 2026, which pointed to a rapidly evolving threat landscape, with artificial intelligence increasingly enabling cybercrime across the continent.
Citing the report, Nairametrics previously reported that Nigeria was identified as both a major target of cyberattacks and a key source of cyber-enabled financial crime in Africa.
The report found that while Nigerian government agencies and businesses were increasingly being targeted by ransomware attacks, criminal networks operating from the country continued to play a prominent role in business email compromise (BEC) schemes and international money laundering.
The report also highlighted Nigeria as one of Africa’s ransomware hotspots, recording 5,822 detections in 2025.
What you should know
In March 2026, INTERPOL said an estimated $442 billion was lost globally to financial fraud in 2025.
INTERPOL disclosed this in its Global Financial Fraud Threat Assessment report, published in March 2026.