AI powers 55% of African cybercrimes, INTERPOL 2026 report reveals

Artificial intelligence is significantly fueling cybercrime across Africa, enabling faster, more sophisticated, and harder-to-detect attacks, according to the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL).

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Cyber-criminality has evolved from isolated incidents into an industrialized, borderless ecosystem.

INTERPOL's African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026 reveals that 55% of reported cybercrimes on the continent are now AI-enabled. The report, based on surveys from 36 African member countries, indicates that cybercrime has evolved from isolated incidents into an industrialized, borderless ecosystem. AI is identified as a major enabler, making attacks "faster, more scalable, and increasingly difficult for victims and platforms to detect."

Cybercrime-related financial losses in Africa have more than doubled since 2024, soaring from $192 million to $484 million. This surge is largely attributed to AI-assisted scams, credential theft, and automated social engineering campaigns. Online scams remain the most commonly reported cybercrime, with criminals exploiting mobile money platforms, social media, and AI to target victims.

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AI has become a major enabler of cybercrime, making attacks “faster, more scalable, and increasingly difficult for victims and platforms to detect.”

The report also highlights that 72% of surveyed countries have scam centers, with the highest concentrations in West and Southern Africa. A growing concern is cybercriminals' use of AI to create "synthetic identities", digital personas combining real personal information with fabricated details. These AI-generated identities can bypass biometric verification systems and are used to open bank accounts, secure loans, and register SIM cards under false names.

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Online scams continued to be the most reported type of cybercrime, with attackers leveraging mobile money platforms, social media and AI to reach their targets.

Furthermore, AI has made Business Email Compromise (BEC) scams considerably more convincing. African cybercriminals are increasingly targeting victims in Europe and North America while operating across multiple jurisdictions, exploiting the absence of real-time data sharing between banks, telecoms, and law enforcement.

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The absence of real-time, inter-agency data sharing between banks, telecoms and law enforcement creates a dangerous blind spot in efforts to combat financial fraud.