An eight-month operation targeting West African organized crime groups has led to 58 arrests and the identification of 263 suspects in a police operation across 22 countries and six continents. Called Operation Jackal IV, Interpol coordinated the operation, arresting some of those behind romance and investment scams. It also identified 263 suspects. "The operation, which brought together 22 countries from six continents, is a response to the escalating global threat posed by West African criminal networks, such as the Black Axe and other similar groups," Interpol said. "These groups are responsible for a significant share of the world's cyber-enabled financial fraud, typically through romance scams, cryptocurrency and investment scams or business email compromise fraud, as well as other serious and violent crimes."[1]
Interpol also said this was a response to the escalating global threat posed by criminal networks believed to be behind much of the cyber-enabled financial fraud. The operation also allowed analysis of emerging trends such as how these groups use sextortion to target minors, with victims as young as 14. Operation Jackal IV, which took place between November 2025 and June 2026, investigated how the groups laundered money and how financial fraud cybercrimes, such as crypto-currency and email compromise fraud, were conducted.
"By following illicit financial flows across borders, we are attacking the very lifeblood of organized crime and making it increasingly difficult for criminal networks to profit from their activities," Tomonobu Kaya, director of Interpol's financial crime center, said in a statement. Interpol provided support and specialized training for money-laundering investigations with the participating countries. While many aspects of Jackal IV remained under investigation, but preliminary outcomes included arrests in Argentina, Italy, Romania and South Africa.
In South Africa, police raided seven sites linked to a syndicate involved in romance and investment scams. The police agency was on scene in Johannesburg to support local authorities during the raids. South African police made 39 arrests, seized $2.67m (£1.96m) and blocked 257 bank accounts. As well as cyber-enabled fraud, the West African networks also participated in other serious and violent crimes, Interpol said.
Operation Jackal IV is one of multiple "Jackal" police operations that have taken place since 2022. In 2024, Jackal III led to the arrests of 300 people linked to Black Axe and other affiliated groups. Black Axe is a shadowy criminal network with trafficking, prostitution and killing operations around the world.
In a recent investigation by 404 Media, investigators Erin West and Paul Raffile traveled to Nigeria to physically track down a perpetrator behind a complex financial fraud operation. Their journey exposes the broader landscape of Nigerian cybercrime, where networks frequently referred to as "Yahoo boys" execute sophisticated romance and investment scams, commonly known as "pig butchering." These criminal ecosystems exploit global victims via social engineering, business email compromise, and cryptocurrency laundering, operating with significant impunity. Nigeria is its main recruitment ground, and many members are university-educated and recruited during their schooling.
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[1] https://www.cybersecurityintelligence.com/blog/global-police-operation-arrests-fifty-eight-cyber-criminals-9692.html
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