AI-Powered Cyberattacks Surge in Africa

A new report from INTERPOL has issued a stark warning: artificial intelligence now drives more than 55% of reported cybercrime incidents across the African continent. The African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026 found that AI’s role in these attacks is making them faster, more sophisticated, and significantly harder to detect.

The report analyzed data from 36 African countries and revealed a concerning trend as digital adoption expands—with over 1.1 billion mobile subscribers recorded in 2025 alone. This growth has widened the attack surface for cybercriminals who are increasingly leveraging AI to target vulnerable systems and individuals.

Financial Impact Soars

The financial toll of cybercrime is also rapidly escalating, with losses more than doubling from $192 million in 2024 to $484 million in 2025. This surge is largely attributed to AI-assisted scams, credential theft, and automated social engineering campaigns.

Online scams remain the most frequent type of cybercrime reported, with criminals exploiting AI, social media platforms, and mobile money services to target victims—particularly in Southern and West Africa where scam centers are concentrated.

New Attack Vectors Emerge

Beyond traditional phishing attacks, the report highlighted several emerging threats:

  • Deepfakes: AI-generated synthetic media is fueling a rise in sextortion and online harassment cases (with TrendAI logging roughly 600,000 such incidents)
  • BEC Attacks: Cybercriminals are using generative AI to create highly convincing emails that impersonate legitimate businesses
  • Synthetic Identities: Criminal groups are combining stolen personal information with AI-generated details to create fake identities for financial fraud

Collaboration Gaps Remain

One of the biggest challenges in combating cybercrime is a lack of real-time information sharing between banks, telecommunications companies, and law enforcement agencies—allowing criminals to operate across jurisdictions with relative impunity.

“Cybercrime has emerged as one of the most significant criminal threats to the region,” said Neal Jetton, Director of INTERPOL’s Cybercrime Directorate. “AI is automating every stage of an attack from reconnaissance to evasion.” \n Jetton added that while the threat is growing, coordinated efforts between countries can effectively disrupt cybercriminal infrastructure.

Looking ahead, INTERPOL emphasized the need for stronger cross-border collaboration, enhanced digital forensic capabilities, specialized AI training for law enforcement, and closer partnerships between government and private sectors to bolster Africa’s cyber resilience.