The Special Division for Combating Cybercrime (DSC) recently shut down a vast digital fraud network operating through the "HICASH" lending platform. Behind this application was the company Level Technologie, now at the center of a far-reaching investigation.

The case came to light following a series of complaints filed between December 2025 and April 2026. The victims denounced abusive practices related to small loans with particularly restrictive repayment terms. For a loan advertised at 10,000 CFA francs, borrowers actually received only 6,500 CFA francs after various fees were deducted, while still owing the full initial amount within seven days.

The investigation revealed an effective weekly interest rate of 53.8%, or nearly 2,800% per year, far exceeding the 35% advertised by the platform. In the event of late payments, users faced aggressive debt collection methods: phone harassment, threats, and the use of personal data, including contacts and photos, to exert pressure on debtors and their associates.

Investigators located the nerve center of the operation in a building in the Liberté 6 neighborhood of Dakar. There, they discovered a structured organization comprising approximately 70 employees, including 60 agents dedicated exclusively to debt collection. The scheme relied on the use of technologies such as SIM boxes, which bypassed traditional communication channels, as well as payment aggregators designed to conceal financial flows, particularly those processed through mobile money services.

The searches resulted in the seizure of tens of millions of CFA francs in cash, as well as a significant amount of computer equipment and numerous mobile phones. Analysis of the data revealed the scale of the operations: over 100,000 loan applications processed, for a total transaction volume estimated at 3 billion CFA francs, and a provisional loss estimated at approximately 1 billion CFA francs.

It also emerged that the structure was operating without any authorization from the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), in violation of the regulations in force.

At the conclusion of the investigation, the company's managing director and four other officials were brought before the prosecutor of the Financial Judicial Pool.