"3,500 Arrested, $300 Million Seized in International Crackdown on Online Fraud"
Interpol recently announced that as part of an international effort to tackle online financial fraud, authorities in 34 countries have arrested approximately 3,500 suspects and seized roughly $300 million worth of assets. The six-month operation, named HAECHI IV, targeted business email compromise (BEC), e-commerce fraud, investment fraud, voice phishing, and money laundering associated with illegal online gambling, romance scams, and online sextortion schemes. Interpol noted that as part of the effort, authorities blocked more than 82,000 bank accounts and seized $199 million in hard currency and approximately $101 million in cryptocurrency. More than 360 virtual asset accounts were frozen. According to Interpol, roughly 75% of the cases investigated as part of operation HAECHI IV were related to investment fraud, BEC, and e-commerce fraud schemes. The operation also led to the arrest of a high-profile online gambling criminal who evaded authorities for two years.