Police around the world have arrested 3,950 people and seized assets totaling $257 million in a coordinated effort to crack down on online scams, according to a news release Thursday from Interpol. Dubbed Operation First Light 2024, the scammers engaged in a variety of online crimes, including phishing, investment fraud, taking in money from fake shopping sites, and romance scams, the international law enforcement agency says.
The international effort from March to May of this year spanned 61 countries and included the combined seizure of $135 million in fiat currency and $2 million in crypto. Police seized roughly $120 million in assets, including real estate, luxury cars, and jewelry. The operation also identified an additional 14,643 âother possible suspects,â according to Interpol.
Dr. Isaac Kehinde Oginni, the director of Interpolâs Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Center (IFCACC), celebrated the effort in a news release.
âThe results of this global police operation are more than just numbersâthey represent lives protected, crimes prevented, and a healthier global economy worldwide,â Oginni said. âBy confiscating such large amounts of money, and disrupting the networks behind them, we not only safeguard our communities but also deal a significant blow to the transnational organized crime groups that pose such a serious threat to global security.â
News of the arrests, first reported by The Record, comes as authorities in the U.S. warn about a huge uptick in online scams, with over $10 billion lost by consumers last year alone. And fraud isnât just achieved through electronic payments like crypto.
The FTC recently reported that Americans lost $76 million in cash to people impersonating government agents last year. Back in February, New York magazineâs financial advice columnist wrote about her own experience losing cash to scammers in a piece titled, âThe Day I Put $50,000 in a Shoe Box and Handed It to a Stranger.â
Online scammers work hard to separate you from your money, but if youâre ever contacted by someone claiming to be with the CIA and they tell you to put all your money in a shoebox please think twice about what youâre doing.
