LYON, France – Artificial intelligence is now linked to 55 percent of reported cybercrime cases across Africa, with criminals using the technology to launch faster, more sophisticated and harder-to-detect attacks, according to INTERPOL’s African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026. According to the report, cybercrime-related financial losses across Africa have surged from $192 million in 2024 to $484 million. INTERPOL said criminals are increasingly using AI to automate phishing campaigns, credential theft, business email compromise and social engineering schemes, allowing attacks to be carried out at a much larger scale. The assessment also found that 72 percent of surveyed countries identified the presence of scam centres, with the highest concentration in West Africa and Southern Africa. East Africa was identified as a hotspot for mobile money fraud and ransomware targeting critical infrastructure, while business email compromise and romance scams remain widespread in Central and West Africa.