"Almost 1,000 Suspects Arrested in Interpol Operation Which Seized Over $129 Million"
An Interpol operation resulted in the seizure of more than $129 million in "virtual assets" and the arrest of nearly 1,000 suspects. The operation comes at a critical juncture in international cooperation to combat online financial crime, particularly fraud and money laundering, with world leaders meeting earlier this month to reaffirm their commitment to combating ransomware. From June 28 to November 23, Interpol's Operation HAECHI III involved global fraud investigators collaborating to intercept money and virtual assets linked to various cyber-enabled financial crimes and money laundering in order to help countries recover and return illicitly obtained funds to victims. According to Interpol, the operation targeted voice phishing, romance scams, sextortion, investment fraud, and money laundering associated with illegal online gambling, resulting in the arrest of 975 people and the resolution of over 1,600 cases. Nearly 2,800 bank and virtual asset accounts linked to the investigated crimes have been blocked. One of the investigations led to the arrest of two fugitives wanted by South Korea under Red Notices after they allegedly embezzled $29 million from 2,000 Korean victims in a global Ponzi scheme. Another case involved bureaus in Austria and India identifying a group of cybercriminals who were impersonating Interpol officers and convincing victims to transfer $159,000 via financial institutions, cryptocurrency exchanges, and online gift cards. Authorities in India raided a call center associated with these criminals, seizing four cryptocurrency wallets and other critical crime evidence. This article continues to discuss the seizure of millions of dollars from cybercriminals in Interpol's Operation HAECHI III.