A sweeping international police operation spanning 61 countries has struck a significant financial blow to online scam networks, freezing 6,745 bank accounts and seizing assets totalling USD 257 million. This coordinated effort, known as Operation First Light 2024, also led to the arrest of 3,950 suspects and identified 14,643 potential suspects worldwide.

The operation targeted various scams, including phishing, investment fraud, fake online shopping sites, romance, and impersonation scams. Police forces intercepted around USD 135 million in fiat currency and USD 2 million in cryptocurrency. Additional assets worth over USD 120 million, including real estate, luxury vehicles, expensive jewellery, and high-value items, were also seized.

INTERPOL’s Global Rapid Intervention of Payments (I-GRIP) mechanism played a crucial role in tracing and intercepting the illicit proceeds of crime. In one case, USD 331,000 was intercepted in a business email compromise fraud involving a Spanish victim who transferred money to Hong Kong, China. Additionally, authorities in Australia recovered AUD 5.5 million (USD 3.7 million) for an impersonation scam victim after the funds were fraudulently transferred to bank accounts in Malaysia and Hong Kong, China.

Dr Isaac Kehinde Oginni, Director of INTERPOL’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre (IFCACC), stated:

“The results of this global police operation are more than just numbers—they represent lives protected, crimes prevented, and a healthier global economy worldwide. By confiscating such large amounts of money and disrupting the networks behind them, we safeguard our communities and deal a significant blow to the transnational organized crime groups that pose a serious threat to global security.”

Yong Wang, Head of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau in Beijing, added:

“The world is grappling with the severe challenges of social engineering fraud, with organized crime groups operating from Southeast Asia to the Middle East and Africa, affecting victims on every continent. No country is immune to this type of crime, and combating it requires very strong international cooperation.”

Noteworthy achievements from the operation include the dismantling of a sophisticated international scam network in the Namibian capital, where 88 local youths forced into conducting scams were rescued. Authorities seized 163 computers and 350 mobile phones, with data handed over to INTERPOL General Secretariat headquarters for analysis. Additionally, coordination between Singapore Police Force’s Anti-Scam Centre, the Hong Kong Police Force’s Anti-Deception Coordination Centre, and local banks prevented a tech support scam, saving a 70-year-old victim from losing SGD 380,000 (USD 281,200) worth of savings.

Joint investigations between Brazilian and Portuguese authorities disrupted several global scam networks. Operation First Light was bolstered by the participation of four regional policing bodies: AFRIPOL, ASEANAPOL, GCCPOL, and Europol.

Funded by China’s Ministry of Public Security, Operation First Light 2024 commenced in 2023 and culminated in its final tactical phase from March to May 2024. Since 2014, INTERPOL has coordinated First Light operations to strengthen international cooperation against online scams.