AI linked to more than half of cybercrime in Africa | Report

Artificial intelligence is enabling 55 per cent of reported cybercrimes across Africa, making attacks faster, more scalable, and increasingly difficult for victims and platforms to detect, according to International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol)’s African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026. The 40-page report, released on 3 August 2026 from Lyon, France, draws on survey data from 36 African member countries. It highlights a defining shift in which cyber-criminality has evolved from isolated incidents into an industrialized, borderless ecosystem. With more than 1.1 billion mobile subscribers recorded in 2025, Africa’s digital transformation is expanding rapidly. However, cybercrime legislation remains fragmented and AI readiness in law enforcement agencies is alarmingly low.

East Africa emerged as a hub of mobile money fraud and infrastructure-targeted ransomware. Business email compromise and romance scams targeting both corporate and individual victims were prolific in Central and West Africa. Southern Africa’s ultra-high connectivity makes it a magnet for global threat actors seeking maximum disruption. Since 2024, cybercrime-related losses have more than doubled, from USD 192 million to USD 484 million. This surge has been driven primarily by AI-facilitated scams, credential harvesting, and automated social engineering campaigns.

In 2025, online scams continued to be the most reported type of cybercrime, with attackers leveraging mobile money platforms, social media and AI to reach targets. Notably, 72 per cent of surveyed countries reported the presence of scam centres, with the highest concentration in Southern and West Africa. Digital sextortion and online harassment, often facilitated by AI-generated deepfakes and synthetic media, remained pervasive, with some 600,000 sextortion detections recorded by TrendAI. Business E-Mail Compromise schemes grew more sophisticated, with AI used to generate highly convincing correspondence. Africa-based threat actors targeted victims in Europe and North America using infrastructure across multiple jurisdictions.

Neal Jetton, Director of INTERPOL’s Cybercrime unit, said: “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.”

He added that when countries work together, cybercriminal infrastructure can be identified, disrupted and dismantled. In 2025, 17 countries enacted or amended cybercrime legislation, including the launch of an online reporting platform in Senegal aimed at enhancing responses to online violations affecting children. Four INTERPOL-coordinated operations — Serengeti 2.0, Contender 3.0, Sentinel, and Red Card 2.0 — collectively led to more than 1,500 arrests and the recovery of over USD 100 million.

The report calls for standardized digital forensic capabilities, enhanced cross-border cooperation, and investment in AI literacy among law enforcement officers. It also recommends formal public-private partnerships to support prevention, detection and response. INTERPOL’s assessment is part of the African Joint Operation against Cybercrime initiative, funded by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. It benefited from data contributed by partners Fortinet, Mastercard, the Shadowserver Foundation, S2W and TrendAI. The findings underscore both the scale of the threat and the value of coordinated action across the continent.