Interpol has coordinated the arrest of 58 people linked to organised West African cyber-crime networks in a major operation spanning 22 countries across six continents. Named "Operation Jackal IV", the crackdown targeted groups behind romance and investment scams, including the notorious Nigerian Black Axe network, which Interpol says is responsible for a significant share of global cyber-enabled financial fraud. The operation matters because it highlights the growing international coordination needed to tackle these networks, which combine financial crime with money laundering, sextortion of minors as young as 14, and other violent offences.

Running from November 2025 to June 2026, the operation identified a further 263 suspects and probed how the groups laundered money through cryptocurrency and email compromise fraud, often targeting retirees in English-speaking countries. Preliminary results included arrests in Argentina, Italy, Romania and South Africa, where police raided seven sites, made 39 arrests, seized $2.67m (£1.96m) and blocked 257 bank accounts. It follows 2024's Jackal III operation, which saw 300 arrests linked to Black Axe, a network with roots in Nigeria that is also involved in trafficking, prostitution and killings worldwide.