Interpol: AI is involved in 55 per cent of reported cybercrime in Africa

Losses have more than doubled in a year to reach $484 million, according to an assessment carried out across 36 member countries on the continent.

Interpol’s assessment of cyber threats in Africa finds that 55 per cent of cybercrimes reported on the continent now involve artificial intelligence at some stage. The report is based on responses from 36 member countries and describes a shift: cybercrime has evolved from isolated incidents to an industrialised, borderless ecosystem.

Recorded losses have more than doubled in a year, from $192 million in 2024 to $484 million in 2025. The patterns vary by region: mobile money fraud in East Africa, compromise of corporate email systems in Central and West Africa, and attacks on highly connected infrastructure in Southern Africa. Scam centres have been reported in 72 per cent of the countries surveyed, and 600,000 cases of sextortion have been recorded.

Neal Jetton, Interpol’s Director of Cybercrime, sums up the phenomenon: AI now automates every stage of an attack, from reconnaissance to phishing and on to extortion. In particular, deepfakes and synthetic identities are circumventing biometric systems. In terms of response, four coordinated operations have led to more than 1,500 arrests and the recovery of over $100 million, and 17 countries have adopted or revised their cybercrime legislation in 2025. The organisation recommends standardisation of digital forensic analysis, enhanced cross-border cooperation and training for law enforcement agencies in AI.