Artificial intelligence is transforming cybercrime across Africa, enabling fraudsters to launch faster, more sophisticated and harder-to-detect attacks, according to the International Criminal Police Organisation.
INTERPOL disclosed this in its African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026, released on Monday, revealing that 55 per cent of reported cybercrimes across Africa are now AI-enabled.
The report, based on survey responses from 36 African member countries, said cybercrime had evolved from isolated criminal acts into an industrialised, borderless ecosystem powered by artificial intelligence.
“Cyber-criminality has evolved from isolated incidents into an industrialized, borderless ecosystem,” the report stated.
It added that AI has become a major enabler of cybercrime, making attacks “faster, more scalable, and increasingly difficult for victims and platforms to detect.”
The report noted that cybercrime-related financial losses across the continent have more than doubled since 2024, rising from $192m to $484m, driven largely by AI-assisted scams, credential theft and automated social engineering campaigns.
According to INTERPOL, online scams remained the most commonly reported cybercrime in 2025, with criminals exploiting mobile money platforms, social media and artificial intelligence to target victims.
“Online scams continued to be the most reported type of cybercrime, with attackers leveraging mobile money platforms, social media and AI to reach their targets,” the report said.
INTERPOL also revealed that 72 per cent of surveyed countries reported the existence of scam centres, with the highest concentration found in West and Southern Africa.
The organisation warned that cybercriminals are increasingly relying on AI to bypass security systems by creating synthetic identities — digital personas generated by combining genuine personal information with fabricated details.
“The absence of real-time, inter-agency data sharing between banks, telecoms and law enforcement creates a dangerous blind spot in efforts to combat financial fraud.
“This vulnerability is being exploited by criminals who have moved beyond simply stealing existing credentials to creating entirely synthetic identities.
“Combining real personal data with fabricated elements, these AI-generated digital personas can bypass even advanced biometric verification systems and have been used to open bank accounts, secure mobile loans and register SIM cards under false names,” the report added.
INTERPOL further noted that Business Email Compromise scams have become significantly more convincing through AI-generated emails, with Africa-based cybercriminals targeting victims in Europe and North America while operating across multiple jurisdictions.
“The sophistication of Business E-Mail Compromise schemes increased dramatically, with AI used to generate highly convincing e-mail correspondence,” it said.
The report also highlighted the growing use of AI-generated deepfakes and synthetic media in online harassment and digital sextortion.
According to INTERPOL, more than 600,000 sextortion detections were recorded by cybersecurity partner TrendAI during the review period.
“Digital sextortion and online harassment, often facilitated by AI-generated deepfakes and synthetic media, remained pervasive,” the report stated.
Director of INTERPOL’s Cybercrime Directorate, Neal Jetton, described cybercrime as one of the region’s most pressing security threats, warning that AI is reshaping how criminals operate.
“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.
“However, we see that when countries work together, cybercriminal infrastructure can be identified, disrupted and dismantled,” Jetton said.
The report noted that 17 African countries enacted or amended cybercrime legislation in 2025, while several regional capacity-building initiatives strengthened cybersecurity preparedness.
INTERPOL also highlighted the success of four coordinated operations — Operation Serengeti 2.0, Operation Contender 3.0, Operation Sentinel and Operation Red Card 2.0, which resulted in more than 1,500 arrests, the seizure of hundreds of devices and the recovery of over $100m in criminal proceeds.
It recommended greater investment in digital forensic capabilities, enhanced cross-border cooperation, improved AI literacy for law enforcement personnel and stronger public-private partnerships to tackle the growing cyber threat across Africa.
