The raid, carried out in 61 countries, also led to the freezing of 6,745 bank accounts and the identification of 14,643 other suspects across all contacts, said a press release from the international police cooperation organisation, headquartered in Lyon.
Nearly 4,000 people have been arrested and $257 million seized in a major international police operation against online fraud, Interpol announced Thursday. The raid, conducted in 61 countries, also led to the freezing of 6,745 bank accounts and the identification of 14,643 other suspects on all contacts, said a press release from the international police cooperation organization, headquartered in Lyon.
The operation, called “First Light” and which lasted several months, targeted in particular investment fraud, fake shopping sites, phishing (a technique used to obtain the victim’s personal data), identity theft and romance scams, according to the press release.
Jewelry, luxury cars…
The various police forces involved seized approximately $135 million in fiat currency and two million dollars in cryptocurrency. Real estate, jewelry and even luxury cars were seized worth more than $120 million.
This international police operation represents “lives protected, crimes avoided and a healthier global economy”, declared Isaac Kehinde Oginni, director of IFCACC, the Interpol center specializing in financial crimes and the fight against corruption, quoted in the press release. In Australia, for example, authorities recovered A$5.5 million from an identity theft victim after the funds were transferred to bank accounts in Malaysia and Hong Kong. In Namibia, law enforcement rescued 88 young people forced into fraud and seized 163 computers and 350 cell phones.
