Interpol warns of rise in West African sextortion groups targeting victims as young as 14
· Citizen
The International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) has warned of emerging crime trends, including a rise in West African organised crime groups using sextortion to target minors, with victims as young as 14.
According to Interpol, offenders typically contact minors via social media, build trust and coerce them into sharing explicit images or videos. They then threaten to distribute this material to the victim’s contacts unless a ransom is paid.
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“Some of these criminal syndicates were also observed procuring Crime-as-a-Service from external providers, often through the dark web, to outsource key activities like money laundering and other critical operations,” said Interpol on Tuesday.
Crackdown on West African organised crime groups
Interpol’s eight-month operation targeting West African organised crime groups has led to 58 arrests and the identification of 263 suspects.
Known as Operation Jackal IV, it operated from November 2025 to June 2026 and aimed to disrupt money laundering, identify high-value targets, seize assets and support arrests and prosecutions.
“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 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.”
Argentina
In Argentina, 196 individuals were identified for their role in a major Crime-as-a-Service network, suspected of providing website domains and money laundering support to West African organised crime groups.
At least 17 people were arrested.
“An Interpol Operational Support Team (OST) was deployed to assist the operation, providing analytical support on seized data, identifying criminal networks and suspects, and engaging with international partners to advance ongoing investigative leads.”
Arrests in South Africa
In South Africa, authorities raided seven locations in Johannesburg linked to a syndicate that ran romance and investment scams targeting retirees in English-speaking countries.
The criminal network operated an elaborate structure, with members designated as “conversion” or “retention” agents and tasked with different stages of the scam.
An Interpol OST was also deployed to support South African law enforcement authorities, who seized $2.67 million [about R42 million], froze 257 bank accounts and arrested 39 individuals.
In one incident, six alleged bogus investment scammers, together with 25 call-centre agents, were arrested on 27 January 2026 for contravening the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act (FAIS Act) 37 of 2002.
The suspects, aged between 38 and 61, were arrested in Johannesburg.
The investigation into the scam was triggered by statements from 43 victims in Australia.
It is alleged that the syndicates advertised bogus investment opportunities through various social-media platforms, targeting victims who were close to retirement age and in possession of substantial savings, seeking growth and preservation of their funds.
The suspects allegedly operated fraud “boiler-room” call centres, utilising call-centre agents to communicate with victims online.
Victims were initially persuaded to make small online investments that falsely appeared to offer high returns. Communication between the agents and victims would then continue via platforms such as Skype, Messenger, Zoom and WhatsApp, until victims were convinced to invest larger sums of money.
The criminal activities spanned several jurisdictions, with victims primarily identified in Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada and New Zealand.
More arrests were made in Italy and Romania.