Interpol says 260 suspects in online romance scams arrested across Africa

The operation by the international police organisation took place in July and August (Laurent Cipriani/AP)

A crackdown on cybercrime co-ordinated by Interpol has led to the arrests across 14 African countries of 260 people suspected in online romance and extortion scams, the organisation has announced.

The operation took place in July and August and focused on scams in which perpetrators build online romantic relationships to extract money from targets or blackmail them with explicit images, Interpol said.