Keypoints:
- 58 arrested across six continents
- South Africa freezes 257 accounts
- Children targeted in sextortion scams
INTERPOL has arrested 58 people and identified 263 suspects in a sweeping international operation targeting West Africa-linked organised crime networks accused of running romance scams, investment fraud, cryptocurrency schemes and other cyber-enabled financial crimes across six continents.
The eight-month crackdown shows how groups once associated mainly with advance-fee and romance scams are evolving into structured transnational enterprises. Investigators say some now outsource money laundering and specialist services through the dark web, while sextortion targeting children has emerged as a growing threat.
Operation Jackal IV, conducted between November 2025 and June 2026, involved 22 countries across six continents. Interpol announced the preliminary results on August 25, saying many investigations remain active.
West Africa-linked networks under pressure
Interpol said the operation targeted groups including Black Axe and similar criminal organisations blamed for a significant share of cyber-enabled financial fraud worldwide.
The agency coordinated intelligence exchanges, cross-border investigations and operational support aimed at tracing illicit money, identifying high-value suspects and seizing criminal assets.
The latest operation follows previous Jackal campaigns against West Africa-linked organised crime. Africa Briefing reported that an earlier Operation Jackal led to more than 100 arrests and the freezing or seizure of millions of dollars linked to suspected criminal networks.
The crackdown also comes as reported cybercrime losses across Africa rise sharply. Africa Briefing reported this month that losses formally reported on the continent more than doubled to $484m in 2025.
Johannesburg raids expose organised structure
South Africa produced the largest number of arrests during Jackal IV.
Police raided seven locations in Johannesburg linked to a syndicate accused of operating romance and investment scams, particularly targeting retirees in English-speaking countries.
Authorities arrested 39 people, seized $2.67m and blocked 257 bank accounts.
Investigators also found an organised division of labour. Interpol said members were assigned roles as ‘conversion’ or ‘retention’ agents, responsible for different stages of persuading victims to invest and keeping them engaged after initial contact.
The finding suggests an increasingly professionalised fraud industry in which scammers can operate with structures resembling legitimate sales organisations.
That pattern fits a wider trend. A previous Interpol operation reported by Africa Briefing resulted in 260 arrests across 14 African countries for romance fraud and sextortion schemes.
€143m investment scam dismantled
In Romania, investigators dismantled what Interpol described as a sophisticated investment fraud operation run through a call centre.
Victims were allegedly promised high returns from stocks and cryptocurrencies before their money was diverted into electronic wallets controlled by the suspects.
Interpol estimated that €143m was stolen and laundered globally. Police arrested 11 people and seized about €330,000 in cash and cryptocurrency, six properties and several luxury watches.
Italy also identified a suspect connected to a pan-European money-laundering network using shell companies, remittance services and cash withdrawals. One account allegedly moved €845,000 through 560 transactions involving 20 financial instruments.
Children targeted through sextortion
Among the most disturbing findings was evidence that West Africa-linked organised crime groups are increasingly using sextortion against minors.
Interpol said victims as young as 14 had been identified.
Offenders typically approach children through social media, gain their trust and persuade or coerce them into sharing explicit images or videos. The material is then used to demand money under threat of distribution.
The trend shows how criminal networks are expanding beyond financial fraud into forms of online child exploitation, increasing pressure on social-media platforms and law-enforcement agencies to detect offenders earlier.
Crime becomes a service
Jackal IV also uncovered evidence that some syndicates are buying specialist criminal services from external providers, often through the dark web.
In Argentina, investigators identified 196 people suspected of involvement in a major ‘crime-as-a-service’ network allegedly supplying website domains and money-laundering support to West Africa-linked organised crime groups. Seventeen people were arrested.
The model allows fraud networks to acquire technical capabilities without developing them internally, potentially making cybercrime easier to scale and harder for individual police forces to investigate.
Africa’s cybercrime battle intensifies
The latest arrests come amid a broader law-enforcement push against online fraud across Africa.
Africa Briefing has documented repeated Interpol operations targeting phishing, business-email compromise, illegal cryptocurrency schemes and romance scams, including a continent-wide crackdown that resulted in more than 1,200 arrests and about $100m in seized assets.
Tomonobu Kaya, director of Interpol’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, said international cooperation was making it harder for organised crime groups to profit by allowing investigators to follow illicit financial flows across borders.
Jackal IV remains under investigation, meaning the current arrest figures may not represent its final outcome.
What the operation already demonstrates is that cyber-enabled fraud tied to organised networks is no longer easily contained within national borders. Criminal infrastructure, money flows and victims may be spread across several continents, forcing police to respond in much the same way.
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