INTERPOL-led global fraud crackdown arrests over 5,800, uncovers crypto laundering network tied to $122.5 million wallet
An INTERPOL-led global anti-fraud operation involving 97 countries and territories resulted in the arrest of 5,811 individuals and the interception of $293 million in illicit assets.
Operation First Light, which ran from Jan. 15 through April 30, 2026, focused on combating social engineering scams, including business email compromise, sextortion, romance, impersonation, and investment scams, as well as associated money laundering activity, INTERPOL said in a statement on Thursday.
The operation also involved INTERPOL's Global Rapid Intervention of Payments (I-GRIP) mechanism, which enables authorities to block illicit fiat and virtual asset transfers rapidly.
Over 142,000 victims were identified globally during the period, with 31,014 bank accounts blocked, 23,715 cases solved, 15,606 suspects identified, and 99 notices and diffusions issued, per INTERPOL.
"Social engineering scams continue to pose a significant threat to our society. Criminal syndicates exploit human psychology to manipulate their targets, and no nation can stay safe unless all countries are equipped and committed to jointly fighting back," Tomonobu Kaya, director of the INTERPOL Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, said in the statement. "INTERPOL is dedicated to supporting member countries in building a comprehensive, coordinated strategy to tackle cyber-enabled financial crimes, organized criminal networks and the money laundering that fuels them."
Crypto money laundering scheme
In Thailand, police arrested two suspects after uncovering a crypto money-laundering scheme that routed romance-scam proceeds through multiple cryptocurrencies via cross-chain token swaps to obscure the financial trail. Authorities said one 20-year-old suspect's digital wallet processed more than $122.5 million over 10 months alone.
Elsewhere, police in Eswatini arrested 82 people after dismantling an illegal online gambling, money laundering, and impersonation scam network that used a fake Brazilian police station to deceive victims into believing they were victims of a crime before convincing them to transfer funds for "safekeeping," which were then stolen.
Authorities in Singapore and Oman blocked a $6.6 million transfer linked to a business email compromise scam, while police in Macao, prevented a victim from sending nearly $372,000 to fraudsters posing as public officials. In Palau, authorities also deported 22 people accused of operating hotel-based scam centers that used cryptocurrency and illegal gambling websites to target overseas victims.
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