Cameroon lost more than CFA1.027 billion in 2025 due to online scams, according to figures recently presented by Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Minette Libom Li Likeng. The minister disclosed the data during the defense of her ministry’s 2026 budget before the Finance and Budget Committee of the National Assembly. The figure illustrates the growing scale of cyber fraud in the country.

This financial damage largely resulted from scamming operations conducted through email, phishing schemes and fraudulent investment platforms. The National Agency for Information and Communication Technologies (ANTIC) monitored these activities closely throughout the year. Authorities recorded a total of 471 scamming and phishing cases involving the impersonation of websites and email addresses belonging to banks, private companies and public administrations.

ANTIC also identified 59 financial scam platforms, which promoters often presented as investment or cryptocurrency opportunities. Authorities dismantled 40 of these platforms, according to Minette Libom Li Likeng. However, victims had already suffered losses exceeding CFA1 billion before the shutdowns.

Cybercrime has emerged as a major threat in Cameroon, generating significant financial damage and persistent challenges for the judicial system. Although the country has enforced a law against cybercrime since 2010, the rapid evolution of criminal techniques, limited technical expertise and resource constraints continue to complicate enforcement. In response, the government has focused on training judges and judicial police officers to strengthen skills related to cybercrime investigations and electronic evidence management.

According to ANTIC, the most frequent attacks involve mobile money fraud, phishing schemes, disinformation campaigns and identity theft targeting public figures. In 2025, the agency identified 4,781 fake social media accounts and removed 3,466 of them, according to official data. At the same time, ANTIC detected 5,973 vulnerabilities across 256 public and private information systems, confirming the persistence of high cybersecurity risks at the national level.

Source: Sbbc