In recent years, Africa has witnessed an unprecedented surge in cyber-enabled crimes. With internet penetration growing rapidly across the continent, digital platforms have become powerful tools for communication, commerce, and social interaction. But alongside these positive developments, criminal networks have seized on new opportunities to exploit vulnerable individuals online.
According to INTERPOL’s 2025 Africa Cyberthreat Assessment Report, two-thirds of surveyed African countries indicated that cyber-related offences now represent a medium-to-high proportion of all crimes. The continent, once seen as relatively disconnected from global digital crime trends, has become an increasingly important battleground for law enforcement and cybersecurity experts.
This reality set the stage for Operation Contender 3.0, a massive international law enforcement initiative conducted from 28 July to 11 August 2025. Spearheaded by INTERPOL in collaboration with national police forces, cybersecurity firms, and international donors, the operation resulted in the arrest of 260 suspects across 14 African countries, the seizure of 1,235 electronic devices, and the dismantling of 81 cybercrime infrastructures. Authorities also identified 1,463 victims linked to romance scams and sextortion, with estimated financial losses nearing USD 2.8 million.
The scale and coordination of the operation represent one of the most significant crackdowns on cybercrime in Africa’s history. To understand its impact, it is essential to examine not only the numbers but also the methods, victims, and broader implications of this transnational effort.
The Anatomy of Digital Deception: Romance Scams and Sextortion
Two primary forms of online crime dominated Operation Contender 3.0: romance scams and sextortion. While these schemes differ in execution, both rely heavily on manipulation, deception, and psychological pressure.
- Romance Scams: In these cases, perpetrators create fake online profiles using stolen photographs, forged documents, and fabricated identities. They initiate conversations on social media or dating platforms, gradually building trust and emotional attachment with their targets. Once a bond is established, scammers introduce financial requests often disguised as courier fees, customs charges, medical emergencies, or travel expenses. Victims, believing they are helping a loved one, transfer significant sums of money, only to later discover the entire relationship was fictitious.
- Sextortion: This scheme is more coercive. Criminals manipulate victims into sharing intimate photos or participating in explicit video chats, often under false pretenses. Unbeknownst to the victim, the offender records the sessions. Once the material is in hand, the criminals threaten to release it publicly unless payment is made. The psychological trauma from such blackmail can be profound, extending beyond financial loss to deep emotional distress.
Cyril Gout, Acting Executive Director of Police Services at INTERPOL, summarized the issue succinctly:
“Cybercrime units across Africa are reporting a sharp rise in digital-enabled crimes such as sextortion and romance scams. The growth of online platforms has opened new opportunities for criminal networks to exploit victims, causing both financial loss and psychological harm. By working closely with our member countries and private sector partners, we remain committed to disrupting and dismantling the groups that prey on vulnerable individuals online.”
This statement underscores not only the financial stakes but also the human cost of cyber-enabled exploitation.
Operation Contender 3.0: A Coordinated Strike
Launched under the African Joint Operation against Cybercrime project, funded by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Operation Contender 3.0 built on the lessons of its predecessors. It combined digital forensics, intelligence-sharing, and on-the-ground enforcement.
Key aspects included:
- Data Collection and Analysis: Investigators traced IP addresses, digital infrastructures, domains, and social media accounts linked to criminal syndicates. This intelligence allowed police to map out networks and identify targets.
- Device Seizures: Over 1,235 electronic devices were confiscated, including laptops, mobile phones, USB drives, and SIM cards. These devices will undergo forensic analysis to uncover additional evidence and potential victims.
- Infrastructure Takedown: Authorities dismantled 81 digital infrastructures ranging from fraudulent websites to communication hubs crippling the ability of networks to operate.
- Victim Identification: Investigators traced scams back to 1,463 identified victims, whose losses amounted to nearly USD 2.8 million. This figure represents only confirmed cases; the true number is likely higher given the underreporting of cybercrime.
- International Partnerships: Collaboration with cybersecurity firms Group-IB and Trend Micro played a crucial role in analyzing data, strengthening operational capabilities, and supporting cross-border enforcement.
Country by Country Breakdown
While the overall results of Operation Contender 3.0 are impressive, the detailed outcomes in individual countries reveal the diversity of tactics employed by criminals and the scale of the problem.
Ghana
- Arrests: 68 suspects
- Devices seized: 835
- Victims identified: 108
- Financial losses: USD 450,000 (with USD 70,000 recovered)
Ghana’s operation was the largest in terms of devices seized. Suspects engaged in both romance scams and sextortion. In romance cases, they fabricated entire identities with stolen images and forged documents. They then extracted payments through fabricated courier fees, customs charges, and other pretexts. In sextortion incidents, suspects recorded explicit video chats and later used them as leverage for blackmail.
Senegal
- Arrests: 22 suspects
- Victims identified: 120
- Financial losses: Approximately USD 34,000
- Seizures: 65 devices, forged IDs, money transfer records
In Senegal, criminals impersonated celebrities on social media and dating platforms. By exploiting the trust and admiration that victims felt for these personalities, they manipulated individuals into sending money.
Côte d’Ivoire
- Arrests: 24 suspects
- Devicуs seized: 29
- Victims identified: 809
One of the most striking figures emerged from Côte d’Ivoire, where police dismantled a major sextortion ring. The group used fake online profiles to lure vulnerable individuals into sharing intimate material. Once obtained, this content became the basis for blackmail. With over 800 identified victims, the case highlights the vast scale and destructive potential of such operations.
Angola
- Arrests: 8 suspects
- Victims identified: 28 (domestic and international)
In Angola, offenders focused on identity fraud, using forged documents to create fake personas. These false identities were employed to facilitate financial transactions and conceal the true actors behind the scams.
The Role of Technology and International Cooperation
One of the defining features of Operation Contender 3.0 was the integration of public and private sector resources. While law enforcement provided local intelligence and enforcement capabilities, companies like Group-IB and Trend Micro contributed advanced data analysis, threat intelligence, and cybersecurity expertise.
This synergy allowed for real-time information sharing and swift cross-border responses. For instance, an IP address flagged in Ghana could be immediately cross-referenced with activity in Nigeria or Côte d’Ivoire, ensuring that criminal networks could not simply shift operations across borders to evade detection.
The operation also benefited from funding by the UK’s FCDO, underscoring the importance of international investment in global cybercrime prevention.
Victims and the Human Toll
While the statistics of Operation Contender 3.0 are striking, the human stories behind the numbers are equally important. Victims of romance scams often describe feelings of deep betrayal, shame, and financial devastation. In many cases, individuals not only lose money but also face strained family relationships and social stigma once the truth emerges.
Victims of sextortion suffer even more acute trauma. The fear of intimate material being made public can cause severe psychological harm, sometimes leading to depression, anxiety, or worse. Law enforcement agencies stress the importance of victims coming forward, both to stop further exploitation and to support broader investigations.
Broader Implications for Africa and Beyond
The outcomes of Operation Contender 3.0 highlight several key realities:
- Cybercrime is Borderless: The criminals arrested operated across multiple countries, often targeting victims abroad. Cybercrime in Africa is not confined to local boundaries it has global reach.
- Rapid Growth of Digital Platforms: The very tools designed to connect communities are being exploited by criminals. As internet usage grows in Africa, the risk of exploitation increases.
- Need for International Collaboration: No single country can combat cybercrime alone. The success of Operation Contender 3.0 underscores the necessity of partnerships between law enforcement, governments, and the private sector.
- Economic and Social Impact: Beyond the direct financial losses, cybercrime erodes trust in digital platforms, undermines economic growth, and inflicts long-lasting psychological harm.
Conclusion
Operation Contender 3.0 marks a milestone in the global fight against cybercrime. With 260 arrests, 81 infrastructures dismantled, and millions in losses exposed, it demonstrates both the scale of the challenge and the effectiveness of coordinated international responses.
Yet the operation is only a step in a much larger battle. As criminals adapt and develop new tactics, law enforcement must remain equally agile. Greater investment in cybersecurity, stronger international frameworks, and expanded victim support systems will be essential moving forward.
For now, the results of Operation Contender 3.0 provide hope that through collaboration, vigilance, and determination, it is possible to strike meaningful blows against the digital predators exploiting vulnerable individuals across Africa and beyond.
Participating countries: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia.
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