Ghanaian authorities have dismantled a major cyber-fraud network operating across Ghana and Nigeria that defrauded more than 200 victims of over $400,000, as part of a continent-wide cybercrime operation coordinated by INTERPOL.

The network was uncovered during Operation Sentinel, which focused on business email compromise, digital extortion and ransomware activities identified as growing threats in INTERPOL’s 2025 Africa Cyber Threat Assessment Report.

Investigators said the syndicate used professionally designed websites and mobile applications to impersonate well-known fast-food brands, collecting online payments from unsuspecting customers but failing to deliver any orders.

INTERPOL confirmed that ten suspects were arrested in Ghana in connection with the fraud, while more than 100 digital devices were seized during coordinated raids. Authorities also took down 30 fraudulent servers used to facilitate the scam.

The Ghana-Nigeria network was among several high-impact cases uncovered during the operation, which resulted in 574 arrests across Africa, the takedown of over 6,000 malicious links and the decryption of six ransomware variants.

The crackdown revealed how cybercriminals are increasingly exploiting consumer trust in familiar brands to carry out large-scale fraud across borders, making detection and enforcement more complex.

Neal Jetton, INTERPOL’s Director of Cybercrime, said the operation demonstrated the value of international cooperation in tackling cyber-enabled crime.

“The scale and sophistication of cyberattacks across Africa are accelerating, especially against critical sectors like finance and energy. The outcomes from Operation Sentinel reflect the commitment of African law enforcement agencies, working in close coordination with international partners. Their actions have successfully protected livelihoods, secured sensitive personal data and preserved critical infrastructure,” he said.

INTERPOL said partnerships with private sector organisations played a critical role in tracing IP addresses, disrupting criminal infrastructure and assisting authorities to freeze illicit financial assets linked to the fraud.

Operation Sentinel was conducted under the African Joint Operation against Cybercrime and supported by funding from the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, as well as the European Union and the Council of Europe through the GLACY-e project.

The arrests come amid growing concern about cyber-related offences in Africa, with INTERPOL reporting that two-thirds of surveyed African countries now classify cybercrime as a medium to high proportion of all criminal activity. (Graphic Online)

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