Over 5,000 suspects nabbed in Interpol's global anti-internet fraud operation
Interpol reported that the operation analysed 152,808 cases, blocked 31,014 bank accounts, solved 23,715 cases, identified 15,606 suspects, and issued 99.
Interpol signage at its headquarters. (Photo: Interpol)
At least 5,811 suspects were arrested during a global anti-internet fraud operation coordinated by Interpol across 97 countries.
Conducted between January 15 and April 30, Operation First Light 2026 targeted social engineering scams and related money-laundering activities.
According to the global police organisation, social engineering scammers exploit trust to obtain money or confidential information.
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"This type of fraud can include business email compromise, sextortion, as well as romance, impersonation or investment scams," Interpol said in a statement released Thursday.
The operation led to the interception of $293 million (Sh37.9 billion) in illicit assets.
"After an initial period of intelligence collection and exchange, participating countries took part in more than three months of operational activities. This included pro-active action against high-value targets, raiding identified premises, blocking or freezing bank accounts and virtual wallets, requesting Interpol Notices and Diffusions and proactively utilising Interpol’s Global Rapid Intervention of Payments (I-GRIP), a stop-payment mechanism that facilitates the swift blocking of illicit financial flows of both fiat and virtual assets," the statement adds.
Interpol reported that the operation analysed 152,808 cases, blocked 31,014 bank accounts, solved 23,715 cases, identified 15,606 suspects, and issued 99 Notices and Diffusions, underscoring the scale of the fraud.
At the same time, more than 142,000 victims worldwide were identified, highlighting how social engineering scams have escalated into a major transnational threat affecting individuals, businesses and governments.
"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. Interpol is dedicated to supporting member countries in building a comprehensive, coordinated strategy to tackle cyber-enabled financial crimes, organised criminal networks and the money laundering that fuels them," said Tomonobu Kaya, Director of Interpol's Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre.
In Eswatini, police arrested 82 people and dismantled a criminal network engaged in illegal online gambling, money laundering and impersonation scams.
Due to the scale and complexity of the digital evidence, an Interpol Operational Support Team was deployed at the request of Eswatini authorities to provide forensic analysis of seized devices.
In Thailand, police made two arrests and uncovered a money-laundering scheme that channelled illicit funds from romance scams into cryptocurrencies, using cross-chain token swaps to obscure the trail. Investigations revealed that the digital wallet of one suspect, aged 20, had processed more than $122.5 million (Sh15.8 billion) in just 10 months.
Authorities in Singapore and Oman used I-GRIP to block a $6.6 million (Sh853 million) illicit transfer linked to a business email compromise scam.
In this case, detectives found that a Singapore-based commodity trading firm was targeted by criminals impersonating a supplier.
Meanwhile, police in Macao, China, carried out anti-fraud community outreach as part of the operation.
During the probe, officers discovered that one participant was actively being manipulated by a criminal syndicate. Impersonating public officials, the perpetrators had convinced the victim to transfer money under the guise of a fraud investigation.
"Thanks to the public campaign, police were able to intervene before the victim sent close to $372,000 (Sh48.1 million) to the fraudsters," said Interpol.
In Brazil, authorities seized 240 electronic devices, foreign currency and a realistic replica of a Brazilian police station, complete with fake uniforms, signage and equipment.
"Posing as Brazil’s Federal Police via video call, the scammers deceived their targets into believing they were victims of a crime, tricking them into transferring funds for 'safekeeping' which were then stolen," the statement says.
The operation also took place in Tanzania, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, South Sudan, Rwanda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Libya, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Myanmar, among others.