The International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) has arrested 58 people across 22 countries and six continents in a major crackdown on organised West African cybercrime networks linked to romance and investment scams.
The arrests followed Operation Jackal IV, an international law enforcement operation coordinated by INTERPOL between November 2025 and June 2026, which identified 263 suspects allegedly connected to criminal networks involved in cyber-enabled financial fraud.
INTERPOL said the operation targeted organised criminal groups, including the Nigerian-origin Black Axe network, which it said has been linked to a significant proportion of cyber-enabled financial fraud worldwide.
The operation also uncovered emerging criminal tactics, including sextortion schemes targeting minors, with some victims reportedly as young as 14.
According to INTERPOL, investigators examined how organised criminal groups conducted financial fraud through cryptocurrency investment scams, business email compromise and other schemes, while laundering proceeds across multiple jurisdictions.
The agency said retirees in English-speaking countries were among the groups most frequently targeted by the fraudsters.
“By following illicit financial flows across borders, we are attacking the very lifeblood of organised crime and making it increasingly difficult for criminal networks to profit from their activities,” INTERPOL Director of the Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, Tomonobu Kaya, said.
“Operation Jackal IV demonstrates the power of international cooperation,” he added.
INTERPOL said it supported participating countries through intelligence sharing, cross-border coordination and specialised training in money-laundering investigations.
Preliminary results from the operation included arrests in Argentina, Italy, Romania and South Africa, while investigations into other suspects and networks remain ongoing.
In South Africa, law enforcement agencies carried out coordinated raids at seven locations in Johannesburg linked to a syndicate allegedly involved in romance and investment fraud.
The operation resulted in the arrest of 39 suspects, while assets valued at $2.67 million were seized and 257 bank accounts allegedly linked to the network were blocked.
INTERPOL said the criminal networks targeted in the operation were involved in other serious offences beyond cyber-enabled financial fraud.
Operation Jackal IV is the latest in a series of international law enforcement operations launched since 2022 to disrupt organised criminal networks operating across West Africa and other regions.
In 2024, Operation Jackal III resulted in the arrest of 300 individuals linked to Black Axe and affiliated groups.
INTERPOL described Black Axe as a transnational criminal network associated with offences including trafficking, prostitution and killings in several countries.
The agency said Nigeria had been identified as a major recruitment base for the network, with some members reportedly recruited while attending universities.
