A large-scale international operation against cybercrime has resulted in the arrest of more than 5,800 suspected cybercriminals across 97 countries. The operation, named Operation First Light, also led to the seizure of $293 million linked to social engineering scams and money laundering activities.
The global crackdown identified more than 142,000 victims, including individuals, businesses, and government organisations. Authorities also analysed over 152,800 cybercrime cases involving business email compromise, sextortion, romance scams, impersonation, and fraudulent investment schemes.
According to officials, more than 15,500 cybercrime suspects were identified during the operation, which lasted for more than 3 months and concluded in late April. Investigators successfully solved nearly 24,000 cybercrime cases and blocked over 31,000 bank accounts connected to illegal activities.
Speaking on the operation, Tomonobu Kaya, Director of the Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, said, “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.”
Authorities also seized a large number of devices and equipment allegedly used to support cybercrime. In Eswatini, police uncovered a fake Brazilian police station complete with counterfeit uniforms, signs, and equipment that was allegedly used to convince victims they were involved in criminal investigations before tricking them into transferring money.
In Thailand, investigators uncovered a romance scam money laundering network involving a 20-year-old suspect who allegedly processed more than $122.5 million within 10 months. Meanwhile, authorities in Palau identified and deported 22 individuals allegedly linked to 2 scam centres operating from hotels.
Highlighting the importance of international cooperation, Kaya added, “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.”
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