Interpol, with 196 member states, coordinated a crackdown across 14 African nations in July and August.
Authorities arrested 260 suspects for links to online romance and extortion scams targeting over 1,400 victims.
Scams Exploit Trust and Cause Heavy Losses
Criminals built fake romantic ties to steal money or blackmail victims with explicit recordings, investigators reported.
Victims lost nearly $2.8 million, suffering both financial losses and emotional harm, according to Interpol officials.
National Operations Reveal Widespread Fraud
Ghanaian officers detained 68 suspects accused of extortion and sextortion using false identities.
Senegalese police arrested 22 suspects for impersonating celebrities to defraud over 100 people.
Côte d’Ivoire authorities captured 24 suspects accused of exploiting fake profiles to blackmail with intimate images.
