CYBERCRIME • AI • AFRICAN THREATS
The official INTERPOL report: automated attacks are exploding, financial losses have doubled to $484M and deepfakes are on the rise.
According to the survey across 36 African member countries, direct losses rose from $192M in 2024 to $484M in 2025/2026.
Cybercrime has moved from isolated incidents to an industrial, cross-border, automated ecosystem.
Targeted mobile money fraud and ransomware attacks.
Business email compromise (BEC) fraud and romance scams.
International syndicates targeting the high connectivity rate.
A surge in AI-generated synthetic media and deepfakes recorded across the continent.
AI-manufactured synthetic identities used to defeat banking e-KYC checks.
“AI now automates every stage of a cyberattack, from reconnaissance through phishing to extortion.”
Add verification factors and build in behavioural detection.
Two-person human validation of executive payment orders.
“AI has industrialised cybercrime in Africa. The answer requires direct threat intelligence sharing between the continent's CERTs.”
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