Interpol and AFRIPOL Bust Massive Crypto Ponzi Scheme in Pan-African Anti-Terror Operation
In a sweeping, first-of-its-kind security operation, Interpol and AFRIPOL announced on Tuesday the arrest of 83 individuals in a coordinated crackdown on terrorism financing across six African nations. The operation’s most alarming discovery was the dismantling of a massive, transnational cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme that had been masquerading as a “legitimate online trading platform.”
This single fraudulent scheme is believed to have defrauded over 100,000 victims worldwide, with estimated losses totaling a staggering $562 million. Authorities confirmed the platform had a significant victim base in several African countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, and Cameroon. Most critically, investigators uncovered direct links between large crypto wallets associated with the Ponzi scheme and the financing of terrorist activities.
The joint mission, codenamed “Operation Catalyst,” was conducted over two months, from July to September 2025. It represented a new, collaborative front against the increasingly complex financial web supporting extremism. The 83 arrests spanned a range of interconnected crimes, including 21 for terrorism, 28 for financial fraud and money laundering, 16 for cyber-enabled scams, and 18 for the illicit use of virtual assets. During the operation, authorities screened over 15,000 persons of interest and financial entities, identifying around $260 million in both cash and crypto assets potentially linked to criminal and terrorist networks.
“Operation Catalyst is the first time, financial crime, cybercrime and counter-terrorism units from multiple African countries have joined forces with INTERPOL and AFRIPOL to target the financing of terrorism. By sharing intelligence, expertise and resources, we can more effectively identify and disrupt the financial flows that support terrorist activities to stay one step ahead of these threats and keep our communities safe.” Ambassador Jalel Chelba, AFRIPOL’s Executive Director said:
“The success of Operation Catalyst lies in the synergy and convergence of efforts among national units combating financial crime, cybercrime, and terrorism. This joint endeavour, dedicated to disrupting the financing of terrorism across the African continent, illustrates how coordinated action between Member States, facilitated by AFRIPOL and INTERPOL, can effectively address complex and evolving security threats. Such cooperation stands as tangible proof that Africa’s law-enforcement community, when united, offers a decisive and appropriate response in the pursuit of a secure and stable Africa.”
The $562 million Ponzi scheme was a sophisticated deception, exploiting the global surge of interest in digital assets. By posing as a user-friendly trading platform, it lured in victims with promises of high, guaranteed returns. In reality, it operated as a classic Ponzi, using funds from new investors to pay fictitious “profits” to earlier ones, thereby building a façade of legitimacy.
This investigation was heavily supported by strategic intelligence from private sector partners, including the crypto exchange platform Binance and blockchain analysis firms Moody’s and Uppsala Security. Their involvement was crucial in tracing the flow of funds. Investigators found that the criminals systematically “redirected funds to multiple addresses and centralized exchange platforms to obscure the trail and convert the assets into fiat currency,” a methodology consistent with sophisticated money laundering and terror financing.
The operation’s findings in Kenya further illustrate the depth of the threat. Authorities there uncovered a separate $430,000 money-laundering scheme using a local virtual asset service provider. In a different case, two individuals were arrested for the online recruitment of young people into terrorist groups, an illicit campaign funded entirely by tracing cryptocurrency donations back to contacts in Tanzania.
A spokesperson for Interpol stated that “Operation Catalyst” highlights the dangerous convergence of cybercrime and organized terror, demonstrating how effectively these groups exploit modern financial tools for their own gains. The case now stands as a stark warning to the public about the risks of unregulated online investment platforms.
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