• INTERPOL’s latest cyberthreat report identifies West Africa as one of Africa’s biggest cybercrime hotspots, with business email compromise (BEC), ransomware and online fraud among the fastest-growing threats.

• Cabo Verde recorded 16,997 ransomware detections, Nigeria 5,822, while Côte d’Ivoire and Mali were among the region’s leading countries for sextortion-related activity, highlighting the growing sophistication of cybercriminal networks.

• The report also warns of rising mobile money fraud, cryptocurrency scams and romance scams, urging governments, businesses and internet users to strengthen cybersecurity and remain vigilant against online fraud.

West Africa has emerged as one of Africa’s most active cybercrime regions, with business email fraud, ransomware, online blackmail and cryptocurrency scams increasingly targeting individuals, companies and public institutions.

The findings are contained in INTERPOL’s African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026, which examined cybercrime activity recorded across the continent in 2025.

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According to the report, West Africa was the continent’s most active region for business email compromise, commonly known as BEC.

Business email compromise is a form of online fraud in which criminals pretend to be a company executive, supplier or trusted business partner. They may hack or imitate an email account and then instruct an employee to transfer money to a fraudulent bank account. Unlike some cyberattacks that damage computers, BEC mainly depends on deception. The criminal tries to convince a worker that the payment request is genuine.

The report suggests that criminals are increasingly moving towards these less visible and potentially more profitable schemes.

Cabo Verde recorded 16,997 ransomware detections in 2025, the second-highest figure reported in Africa, according to data supplied to INTERPOL by TrendAI.

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Nigeria recorded 5,822 detections during the same period. The report said Nigeria continues to experience cybercrime both as a target and as a country from which some criminal networks operate.

Ransomware is malicious software that blocks access to a computer or its files. The attacker then demands money, usually in cryptocurrency, before restoring access. Businesses, financial institutions, government agencies and other organisations can lose access to important information when such attacks are successful.

Côte d’Ivoire ranked third in Africa for sextortion IP senders.Sextortion IP senders are the internet addresses identified as senders of sextortion messages, with 64,111 detections, according to the INTERPOL report.

Sextortion is a form of blackmail in which criminals threaten to publish intimate images, videos or personal information unless the victim sends money or provides more material. Some campaigns begin with fake social media or dating profiles. Others rely on automated emails claiming that the criminal has gained access to a victim’s device or private files.

Mali recorded 3,494 sextortion detections, the highest figure reported in West Africa. INTERPOL said the number could point to a growing technical infrastructure being used for automated blackmail campaigns.

Mali also registered 4,145 distributed denial-of-service attacks during the first half of 2025, even as such attacks declined across the region compared with the previous year.

A distributed denial-of-service attack, also called a DDoS attack, overwhelms a website or online service with large volumes of traffic until genuine users can no longer access it. The report added that the decline in DDoS activity could indicate that some criminals are turning to schemes such as business email fraud and cryptocurrency scams, which may be more profitable and harder to detect.

Mobile money fraud, fake cryptocurrency investments, Ponzi schemes and romance-related scams were also widespread across West Africa. Some operations reportedly presented themselves as legitimate fintech companies while using their platforms or offices to conduct fraud.

In romance baiting, criminals build emotional relationships with victims online before asking them to transfer money, invest in a false opportunity or send cryptocurrency.

The report also identified a high volume of French-language scams and cross-border money-laundering networks, showing how criminal groups can operate across several countries rather than remaining in one location.

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The report highlighted the compromise of the Nigeria National Bureau of Statistics website as an example of the risks facing important government institutions. INTERPOL said the incident disrupted economic data collection and contributed to the circulation of false or misleading information.

The attack demonstrated that public databases can be attractive targets because people, businesses, journalists and policymakers depend on them for official information. INTERPOL had also identified the breach of Nigeria’s statistics agency database among significant attacks on African government institutions.

The expansion of mobile money, digital banking, social media and cryptocurrency services has made financial transactions easier across the region. However, this rapid growth has also provided more opportunities for criminals to deceive users, steal credentials and move money across borders.

People and businesses are advised to treat unexpected payment requests, investment offers and messages demanding urgent action with caution. A request appearing to come from a manager or supplier should be confirmed through a separate telephone call or another trusted communication channel before money is transferred.

Internet users should also avoid sending intimate material to people whose identities they cannot verify and should not pay criminals who threaten to publish private content. Strong, different passwords for separate accounts and additional security measures such as two-factor authentication can also reduce the risk of account takeover.