By Abigail Mbah
Artificial intelligence is now tied to 55 percent of reported cybercrimes across Africa, according to INTERPOL’s African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026. The 40-page assessment, based on survey data from 36 African member countries, describes how AI is making attacks faster, more scalable and harder for victims and platforms to spot.
Africa’s digital growth has been rapid. More than 1.1 billion mobile subscribers were recorded in 2025. At the same time, cybercrime laws remain fragmented and law enforcement readiness for AI tools stays low. The report says cyber-criminality has moved from isolated incidents into an industrialized, borderless system.
Financial losses have more than doubled since 2024, rising from $192 million to $484 million. The jump is driven mainly by AI-facilitated scams, credential harvesting and automated social engineering. Online scams were the most reported type of cybercrime in 2025. Attackers used mobile money platforms, social media and AI to reach targets. Seventy-two percent of the surveyed countries reported the presence of scam centres, with the highest concentrations in Southern and West Africa.
AI is also changing the nature of specific threats. Digital sextortion and online harassment, often using AI-generated deepfakes and synthetic media, remain widespread. One partner, TrendAI, recorded around 600,000 sextortion detections. Business email compromise schemes have grown more sophisticated, with AI producing highly convincing messages. Africa-based actors have targeted victims in Europe and North America while routing activity through multiple jurisdictions.
Criminals are no longer limited to stealing existing credentials. They are creating entirely synthetic identities that mix real personal data with fabricated details. These AI-generated personas have been used to open bank accounts, obtain mobile loans and register SIM cards under false names, sometimes bypassing advanced biometric checks. The report notes that the lack of real-time data sharing between banks, telecoms and law enforcement leaves a clear gap that offenders exploit.
Neal Jetton, Director of INTERPOL’s Cybercrime unit, said cybercrime has become 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,” he said. “However, we see that when countries work together, cybercriminal infrastructure can be identified, disrupted and dismantled.”
The assessment forms part of INTERPOL’s African Joint Operation against Cybercrime, funded by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Data came from partners including Fortinet, Mastercard, the Shadowserver Foundation, S2W and TrendAI.