Artificial intelligence is now linked to 55% of reported cybercrime across Africa, helping drive financial losses to $484 million, according to INTERPOL’s African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026.
The report shows that cybercrime losses have more than doubled from $192 million since 2024, with AI increasingly used to automate phishing attacks, impersonation scams, identity fraud and other digital crimes.
INTERPOL said the growing use of AI has transformed cybercrime from isolated incidents into a more industrialized and cross-border criminal ecosystem, making attacks faster, more scalable and harder for victims and platforms to detect.
The warning comes as Africa’s digital economy continues to expand rapidly. The continent recorded more than 1.1 billion mobile subscribers in 2025, creating a larger pool of potential targets for cybercriminals exploiting AI-powered tools.
Online scams remained the most reported cybercrime across Africa last year, with attackers using AI alongside mobile money platforms and social media to reach victims. According to the report, 72% of the 36 African member countries surveyed reported the presence of scam centres, with the highest concentration in Southern and West Africa.
East Africa emerged as a major hub for mobile money fraud and ransomware attacks targeting critical infrastructure, while Central and West Africa continued to experience high levels of business email compromise and romance scams. Southern Africa’s relatively high digital connectivity has also made the region an attractive target for international cybercriminal groups.
One of the report’s most significant findings is the rise of synthetic identities—AI-generated digital personas created by combining genuine personal information with fabricated data. INTERPOL said these identities have been used to open bank accounts, obtain mobile loans and register SIM cards under false names, sometimes bypassing biometric verification systems.
Business email compromise attacks have also become more sophisticated, with AI used to generate highly convincing corporate correspondence. Africa-based threat actors are increasingly targeting victims in Europe and North America while routing operations through infrastructure spread across multiple jurisdictions, complicating investigations.
INTERPOL warned that the lack of real-time information sharing between banks, telecommunications companies and law enforcement agencies remains a major vulnerability in the fight against financial fraud.
“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,” said Neal Jetton, Director of INTERPOL’s Cybercrime Directorate.
Despite the growing threat, INTERPOL said coordinated international operations—including Operation Serengeti 2.0, Operation Contender 3.0, Operation Sentinel and Operation Red Card 2.0—resulted in more than 1,500 arrests, the seizure of hundreds of devices and the recovery of over $100 million in criminal proceeds.
The organization is calling for stronger digital forensic capabilities, greater investment in AI literacy for law enforcement officers, enhanced cross-border cooperation and deeper collaboration between governments and the private sector to combat increasingly sophisticated cyber threats across the continent.