Nigeria has joined a global effort led by INTERPOL, resulting in the arrest of 5,811 individuals accused of fraud and the recovery of $293 million in illegal assets.
This collaborative initiative involved 97 countries and focused on combating cyber-related financial crimes and money laundering.
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Dubbed Operation First Light 2026, the operation took place between January 15 and April 30 and targeted various methods of social engineering scams, such as business email compromise, romance scams, investment fraud, impersonation schemes, and sextortion.
INTERPOL reported that the operation uncovered over 142,000 victims around the world, examined 152,808 fraud cases, froze 31,014 bank accounts, resolved 23,715 cases, and pinpointed 15,606 suspects. Additionally, authorities issued 99 INTERPOL Notices and Diffusions to enhance international collaboration.
Tomonobu Kaya, INTERPOL’s Director of the Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, has raised concerns about the ongoing threat of fraud.
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“According to him, social engineering scams continue to represent a major threat to society. Criminal organizations take advantage of human psychology to manipulate their victims, and no country can ensure safety without all nations being prepared and dedicated to working together to combat this issue.
In a significant development, authorities in Eswatini successfully dismantled a criminal network involved in online gambling, money laundering, and impersonation scams.
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They arrested 82 individuals and confiscated 240 electronic devices, various foreign currencies, and a counterfeit Brazilian police station that was used to trick victims into transferring money.
In Thailand, police uncovered a cryptocurrency laundering operation connected to romance scams after identifying a 20-year-old suspect who had processed over $122.5 million through a digital wallet in just ten months.
Meanwhile, Singapore and Oman collaborated to block a fraudulent transfer amounting to $6.6 million using INTERPOL’s I-GRIP payment intervention system, while law enforcement in Macao managed to stop a victim from losing money.”
