$257 million seized in global police crackdown on online fraud

LYON, France – A global police operation in 61 countries has dealt a financial blow to online fraud networks by freezing 6,745 bank accounts, seizing assets totaling $257 million and dismantling the transnational organized crime networks involved.

Operation First Light 2024 targeted phishing, investment fraud, fake online shopping sites, and romance and identity scams and resulted in the arrest of 3,950 suspects and the identification of 14,643 additional possible suspects across all continents.

In total, police seized about $135 million in fiat currency and $2 million in cryptocurrency. Fiat currencies such as the US dollar, euro or yen are official currencies issued and regulated by governments.

Additional assets valued at over $120 million were seized, including real estate, luxury cars, expensive jewelry, and many other high-value items and collections.

Operation First Light 2024 resulted in 3,950 suspects being arrested, such as here in the Philippines, and 14,643 other possible suspects being identified across all continents.

As part of their global efforts to combat phishing, investment fraud, fake online shopping sites, and romance and identity scams, authorities in Hong Kong, China, have arrested several suspects.

In Brazil, the Federal Police seized numerous assets from suspected fraudsters as part of Operation First Light 2024, including luxury brand products, expensive jewelry, laptops and phones.

The Brazilian federal police confiscated numerous expensive pieces of jewelry, including these high-quality watches.

Operation First Light has arrested nearly 4,000 suspected fraudsters, including this suspect arrested in Brazil.

During Operation First Light, authorities seized assets suspected of belonging to fraudsters, including this luxury vehicle in Brazil.

The data stored on handsets, computers and telephones seized during Operation First Light – such as this one in Hong Kong – has been handed over to INTERPOL General Secretariat Headquarters for analysis.

Upon request, the INTERPOL General Secretariat sent specialised officers to the operational areas – such as Namibia here – to assist local police in coordinating their national part of the global operation.

The First Light operations are funded by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, which also hosted the final meeting of the operations in Tianjin this year.

Using INTERPOL’s Global Rapid Intervention of Payments (I-GRIP) mechanism to track and intercept illicit proceeds of crime in fiat and cryptocurrencies, police were able to intercept US$331,000 in a business email compromise scam involving a Spanish victim who was transferring money to Hong Kong, China.

In another case, authorities in Australia managed to recover AUD 5.5 million (USD 3.7 million) for an identity fraud victim after the funds were fraudulently transferred to bank accounts in Malaysia and Hong Kong, China.

The Director of the INTERPOL Financial Crimes and Anti-Corruption Centre (IFCACC), Dr. Isaac Kehinde Oginni, said:

“The results of this global policing operation are more than just numbers – they represent lives saved, crimes prevented and a healthier global economy.

“By confiscating such large sums of money and dismantling the networks behind them, we are not only protecting our communities, but also dealing a serious blow to the transnational organized crime gangs that pose such a serious threat to global security.”

On behalf of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, Yong Wang, Head of INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau in Beijing, said:

“The world is grappling with 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.

“No country is immune to this type of crime and combating it requires very strong international cooperation.”

Notable successes of the operation include the dismantling of a sophisticated international fraud network in the Namibian capital. The operation resulted in the rescue of 88 local youths who had been coerced into fraud. Authorities seized 163 computers and 350 mobile phones and handed over the data stored on them to the headquarters of the General Secretariat of INTERPOL for analysis.

Similarly, collaboration between the Singapore Police Force Fraud Protection Centre and the Hong Kong Police Force Anti-Deception Coordination Centre (HKDC) and local banks prevented a technical support fraud attempt, saving a 70-year-old victim SGD 380,000 (USD 281,200) in savings.

Joint investigations by Brazilian and Portuguese authorities have dismantled several global fraud networks.

Operation First Light was reinforced by the participation of four regional police authorities: AFRIPOL, ASEANAPOL, GCCPOL and Europol.

The First Light operations are funded by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, which recently hosted the final conference in Tianjin, bringing together the participating countries to analyse results, exchange information and plan future operations.

Operation First Light 2024 began in 2023 and reached 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 in the fight against social engineering and telecommunications fraud.