The INTERPOL’s worldwide “Operation First Light 2024” resulted in the arrest of 3,950 suspects and an additional 14,643 possible suspects worldwide for connections to internet fraud networks, suspending 6,745 bank accounts and seizing 257 Mln dollars worth of assets.
The investigation spanning 61 nations totaled the seizure of about 135 Mln dollars in fiat currency and 2 Mln dollars in cryptocurrency, said INTERPOL in a release on Thursday.
Fiat currencies such as the US dollar, euro, or yen are official currencies issued and regulated by governments.
More than 120 Mln dollars in assets were confiscated, including real estate, luxury automobiles, expensive jewelry, and several other high-value objects.
Using INTERPOL’s Global Rapid Intervention of Payments (I-GRIP) mechanism to track and intercept illicit proceeds of crime in fiat and cryptocurrencies, police intercepted 331,000 dollars in a business email compromise scam involving a Spanish victim transferring funds to Hong Kong, China.
In another case, Australian police collected 3.7 Mln USD for an identity theft victim after funds were unlawfully moved to bank accounts in Malaysia and Hong Kong.
Dr. Isaac Kehinde Oginni, Director of the INTERPOL Financial Crimes and Anti-Corruption Centre (IFCACC) stated, “The results of this global policing operation are more than just numbers; they represent lives saved, crimes prevented, and a healthier global economy.”
On behalf of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, Yong Wang, Head of INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau in Beijing, said: “The world is facing the serious challenges of social engineering fraud. From Southeast Asia to the Middle East and Africa, organized crime gangs are active, claiming victims on every continent.”
Notable results of the operation include the destruction of a sophisticated international fraud network in Namibia’s capital. The initiative successfully rescued 88 local youths who had been lured into fraud. Authorities confiscated 163 laptops and 350 mobile phones and turned over the material contained in them to INTERPOL’s General Secretariat headquarters for review.
Brazilian and Portuguese police conducted joint investigations and eliminated multiple global fraud networks.
Operation First Light involved four regional police authorities that joined the investigation: AFRIPOL, ASEANAPOL, GCCPOL, and Europol.
The Chinese Ministry of Public Security funds the First Light activities, which recently held the final conference in Tianjin, where they brought together participant countries to analyze results, share information, and prepare for future operations.
Operation First Light 2024 began in 2023 and concluded in March-May 2024.
Since 2014, INTERPOL has been coordinating First Light operations to promote collaboration and increase member nations’ efforts in the fight against social engineering and telecommunication fraud.