Interpol reveals scale of global scam industry after four-month anti-fraud operation

An international anti-fraud operation coordinated by Interpol has led to the arrest of 5,811 individuals and the interception of $293 million in illicit assets, the international police agency announced Thursday.

The operation, which spanned 97 countries between Jan. 15 and April 30, targeted ‘social engineering’ schemes. These included business email compromise, sextortion, impersonation, and investment scams, as well as the money laundering activities linked to them.

Over the course of the four-month crackdown, authorities identified more than 142,000 victims globally across 152,808 cases. Interpol stated that the sheer number of victims “[highlights] the extent to which social engineering scams and fraud have escalated into a major transnational threat.”

In Eswatini, police arrested 82 suspects and dismantled a criminal network running illegal online gambling, money laundering, and impersonation scams. Meanwhile, authorities in Palau deported 22 individuals for their roles in two connected scam centers operating out of hotels.