AI Accounts for Over Half of Cybercrime in Africa, Says Interpol

Interpol's African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026 warns that AI-driven cybercrime now accounts for 55% of reported digital crime in Africa, driving losses from $192M in 2024 to $484M in 2025; key threats include AI-generated deepfakes and sextortion (TrendAI recorded ~600,000 attempts), AI-enhanced BEC, AI-driven ransomware (Qilin, Akira) targeting healthcare, power and education, synthetic identity fraud, and the rise of Cybercrime-as-a-Service, while coordinated law-enforcement operations across the region have produced over 1,500 arrests and recovered more than $100M.