News
$257 million seized in global police crackdown on online fraud
LION, France – A global police operation spanning 61 countries has dealt a financial blow to online fraud networks, freezing 6,745 bank accounts, seizing assets totaling $257 million and dismantling the transnational organized crime networks involved.
Targeting phishing, investment fraud, fake online shopping sites, romance and impersonation scams, Operation First Light 2024 led to the arrest of 3,950 suspects and identified 14,643 other potential suspects across all continents.
Police collectively intercepted about $135 million in fiat currency and $2 million in cryptocurrencies. Fiat currency, like the US dollar, euro or yen, is the official currency issued and regulated by governments.
Other assets valued at more than $120 million were seized, including real estate, high-end vehicles, expensive jewelry and many other high-value items and collectibles.
Operation First Light 2024 led to the arrest of 3,950 suspects, as here in the Philippines, and identified 14,643 other possible suspects across all continents.
Authorities in Hong Kong, China, have arrested several suspects as part of a global effort to combat phishing, investment fraud, fake online shopping sites, romance and identity fraud.
In Brazil, the Federal Police seized a wide range of assets belonging to alleged scammers, including luxury brand products, expensive jewelry, laptops and phones as part of Operation First Light 2024.
The Brazilian Federal Police seized several expensive jewelry items, including these high-value watches.
Nearly 4,000 alleged coup plotters were arrested during Operation First Light, including this suspect detained in Brazil.
During Operation First Light, authorities seized assets believed to belong to alleged scammers, including this luxury vehicle in Brazil.
Data contained in handheld devices, computers and phones seized during Operation First Light, such as here in Hong Kong, has been handed over to INTERPOL General Secretariat Headquarters for analysis.
Upon request, the INTERPOL General Secretariat headquarters sent specialist officers into the field – such as here in Namibia – to support local police in coordinating their national part of the overall operation.
First Light’s operations are funded by China’s Ministry of Public Security, which hosted this year’s operational completion meeting in Tianjin.
Using INTERPOL’s Global Rapid Intervention of Payments (I-GRIP) mechanism to help them track and intercept the illicit proceeds of crime in both fiat and cryptocurrency, police intercepted $331,000 in an e-compromise fraud. -commercial email involving a Spanish victim who transferred money to Hong Kong. Kong, China.
Similarly, in another case, Australian authorities successfully recovered A$5.5 million ($3.7 million) in the name of a victim of identity fraud after funds were fraudulently transferred to bank accounts in Malaysia and Hong Kong, China.
The Director of the INTERPOL Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre (IFCACC), Dr. Isaac Kehinde Oginni, said:
“The results of this global police operation are more than just numbers — they represent lives protected, crimes prevented, and a healthier global economy around the world.
“By seizing such large amounts of money and disrupting the networks behind them, we not only protect our communities, but we also deal a significant blow to the transnational organized crime groups that pose such a serious threat to global security.”
On behalf of the Ministry of Public Security of China, Yong Wang, Chief of INTERPOL National Central Bureau in Beijing, said:
“The world is grappling with the severe challenges of social engineering fraud, and organized crime groups are operating from Southeast Asia to the Middle East and Africa, with victims on every continent.
“No country is immune to this type of crime and combating it requires very strong international cooperation.”
Notable achievements of the operation include the dismantling of a sophisticated international scam network in Namibia’s capital. In this operation, 88 local youths, who were forced to conduct scams, were rescued. Authorities seized 163 computers and 350 cell phones, and the data they contained was handed over to the INTERPOL General Secretariat headquarters for analysis.
Similarly, coordination between the Singapore Police Anti-Fraud Center and the Hong Kong Police Anti-Fraud Coordination Center, China, and local banks prevented an attempted tech support scam, preventing a 70-year-old victim from losing SGD 380,000 ($281,200) in savings.
Joint investigations between Brazilian and Portuguese authorities disrupted several fraudulent networks operating globally.
Operation First Light was reinforced by the participation of four regional policing bodies: AFRIPOL, ASEANAPOL, GCCPOL and Europol.
First Light operations are funded by China’s Ministry of Public Security, which recently hosted the closing meeting in Tianjin, bringing participating countries together under one roof to analyze results, share information and plan future operations.
Operation First Light 2024 began in 2023 and culminated in its final tactical phase from March to May 2024.
INTERPOL has been coordinating First Light operations since 2014 to strengthen cooperation and intensify member countries’ efforts to combat social engineering and telecommunications fraud.