INTERPOL Arrests 27 Kenyans Involved in Online Investment Scams
INTERPOL has announced the arrest of 27 Kenyans related to large-scale internet fraud schemes as part of a major cybercrime campaign across Africa.
The arrests were made as part of a concerted investigation that targeted online investment frauds, mobile money fraud, and fraudulent digital loan applications between December 8, 2025, and January 30, 2026.
According to INTERPOL, officers discovered fraud networks that employed chat applications, social media platforms, and forged testimonials to dupe victims into making false investments.
Victims were allegedly convinced to make tiny payments, as little as Ksh6400 ($50), after being promised exceptionally high returns.
INTERPOL revealed that the perpetrators made the scam appear legitimate by showing victims phoney account dashboards and statements that claimed to represent increasing profits.
“Victims were shown fabricated account statements or dashboards, but withdrawal requests were systematically blocked,” said INTERPOL’s Director of the Cybercrime Directorate Neal Jetton.
🚨 Major operation in Africa targeting online scams nets 651 arrests, recovers USD 4.3 million
— INTERPOL (@INTERPOL_HQ) February 19, 2026
Operation Red Card 2.0, carried out across 16 African countries, targeted the infrastructure and criminal groups behind:
🔵 High-yield investment scams
🔵 Mobile money fraud
🔵… pic.twitter.com/w3QhIVXT7G
INTERPOL reported that the occurrences in Kenya were part of a larger international scam network that resulted in financial losses of more than Ksh5.8 billion and affected over 1,200 victims, the majority of whom were from Africa.
“During the eight-week operation, investigations exposed scams linked to over $45 million in financial losses and identified 1,247 victims, predominantly from the African continent but also from other regions of the world,” INTERPOL revealed.
During the operation, law enforcement authorities from 16 African nations, including Kenya, made 651 arrests and recovered more than Ksh580 million in stolen funds.
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Security agencies also retrieved over 2,300 electronic devices and shut down over 1,400 malicious sites, domains, and Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.
In his speech, Neal Jetton warned that organised cybercriminal syndicates continue to cause severe financial and psychological harm to individuals and communities not only in Africa but across the world.
“These organised cybercriminal syndicates inflict devastating financial and psychological harm on individuals, businesses and entire communities with their false promises,” Jetton said.
He went ahead to encourage victims of online fraud to report incidents to law enforcement, emphasising that international collaboration remains active in dismantling cybercrime networks.
INTERPOL Arrests 27 Kenyans Involved in Online Investment Scams
