A coordinated global anti-fraud operation spearheaded by the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) has led to the arrest of 5,811 suspected fraudsters, the identification of more than 15,600 individuals linked to transnational financial crimes, and the interception of approximately $293 million in illicit assets.
The multinational operation, codenamed Operation First Light 2026, was carried out between January 15 and April 30, 2026, involving law enforcement agencies from 97 countries and territories, including Nigeria. The operation targeted sophisticated cyber-enabled financial crimes, particularly social engineering scams, online fraud, money laundering, business email compromise, romance scams, investment fraud, sextortion, and cryptocurrency-related offences.
INTERPOL announced the outcome of the operation in a report released on Thursday, describing social engineering fraud as one of the fastest-growing and most dangerous global security threats confronting governments, businesses, financial institutions, and millions of internet users around the world.
According to the report, investigators identified more than 142,000 victims across participating countries during the three-and-a-half-month operation, highlighting the alarming scale of financial crimes perpetrated by organised international criminal syndicates operating across multiple jurisdictions.
The operation brought together investigators, cybercrime specialists, financial intelligence units, prosecutors and anti-money laundering experts in one of the largest coordinated international crackdowns on cyber-enabled fraud ever undertaken by INTERPOL.
Authorities employed a combination of intelligence gathering, real-time information sharing, coordinated enforcement actions and financial tracking mechanisms to dismantle criminal networks operating across national borders.
Participating countries executed simultaneous raids on suspected fraud centres, arrested key suspects, froze thousands of bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets, recovered illicit assets, and deployed INTERPOL’s Global Rapid Intervention of Payments (I-GRIP) system to prevent fraudulent financial transfers before funds could disappear through international laundering channels.
According to INTERPOL, Operation First Light 2026 generated unprecedented operational results.
Investigators examined a total of 152,808 fraud-related cases, successfully resolved 23,715 investigations, identified 15,606 suspects, and arrested 5,811 individuals allegedly connected to organised financial crime networks.
The operation also resulted in the freezing or blocking of 31,014 bank accounts, significantly disrupting criminal financial infrastructure used to move illicit proceeds across borders.
Additionally, INTERPOL issued 99 Notices and Diffusions, enabling international law enforcement agencies to locate suspects, exchange intelligence and facilitate cross-border arrests.
INTERPOL explained that the operation concentrated heavily on combating social engineering fraud, a category of cybercrime in which criminals manipulate victims psychologically rather than relying solely on technical hacking methods.
According to the organisation, such schemes typically involve deceiving victims into voluntarily transferring money, revealing confidential banking credentials or providing personal information that can later be exploited for financial gain.
Among the crimes targeted during the operation were Business Email Compromise (BEC), romance scams, investment fraud, government impersonation scams, cryptocurrency fraud, online gambling fraud, and sextortion.
One of the most significant breakthroughs occurred in the Kingdom of Eswatini, where authorities dismantled an elaborate criminal syndicate allegedly responsible for illegal online gambling, money laundering and large-scale impersonation scams.
Police arrested 82 suspects during coordinated raids and recovered 240 electronic devices, substantial amounts of foreign currency and one of the most unusual discoveries made during the operation—a fully constructed replica of a Brazilian police station.
According to INTERPOL, the fake police facility included realistic official signage, counterfeit police uniforms, office furniture and law enforcement equipment designed to convince victims that they were communicating with genuine Brazilian Federal Police officers.
Investigators revealed that members of the syndicate conducted sophisticated video calls while posing as Brazilian law enforcement officials.
Victims were falsely informed that they were under criminal investigation and instructed to transfer money into so-called “safe accounts” pending completion of fictitious investigations.
Once the funds were transferred, they were immediately diverted into criminal-controlled accounts and laundered through multiple financial channels.
Because of the enormous volume and complexity of digital evidence recovered during the operation, INTERPOL deployed one of its specialised Operational Support Teams to Eswatini to assist local investigators in conducting advanced forensic examinations of seized electronic devices.
Thailand also recorded a major breakthrough during the operation after authorities uncovered a sophisticated cryptocurrency money laundering network linked to international romance scams.
Police arrested two suspects following an investigation that revealed one of them—a 20-year-old suspect—had processed more than $122.5 million through a cryptocurrency wallet within just ten months.
Investigators said the criminal network relied on multiple cryptocurrencies, digital wallets and complex cross-chain token swaps to disguise the origin and movement of illicit funds, making them significantly more difficult for financial investigators to trace.
Meanwhile, authorities in Singapore and Oman successfully utilised INTERPOL’s I-GRIP payment intervention platform to stop an illicit transfer worth approximately $6.6 million linked to a Business Email Compromise scam.
According to investigators, cybercriminals impersonated a legitimate supplier of a Singapore-based commodity trading company and attempted to redirect a substantial payment into fraudulent accounts.
Through rapid international cooperation, authorities intercepted the transfer before the funds could be withdrawn or laundered.
In Macao, China, law enforcement agencies combined public awareness campaigns with operational enforcement activities, leading to the rescue of a victim who was about to transfer nearly $372,000 to fraudsters.
The victim had reportedly been manipulated by criminals posing as government officials conducting a fictitious anti-fraud investigation before police intervened and prevented the transfer.
Elsewhere, authorities in Palau deported 22 foreign nationals allegedly operating scam centres from hotels within the country.
According to INTERPOL, the suspects were involved in fraud schemes conducted through cryptocurrency platforms and illegal online gambling websites targeting victims across several countries.
Sri Lanka also recorded major successes during Operation First Light 2026 after local authorities dismantled multiple cyber-enabled scam centres and arrested hundreds of suspects allegedly linked to organised financial crime syndicates operating within the country.
Commenting on the outcome of the operation, Director of INTERPOL’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, Tomonobu Kaya, warned that organised criminal groups continue to exploit human psychology as one of their most powerful weapons.
He noted that cybercriminals increasingly rely on manipulation rather than technical sophistication to deceive victims into surrendering their savings and confidential information.
According to Kaya, social engineering scams remain among the most serious threats facing global societies because no country is immune from increasingly sophisticated international fraud networks.
He stressed that effective responses require sustained international cooperation, information sharing and coordinated enforcement among member states.
Kaya reaffirmed INTERPOL’s commitment to assisting member countries in strengthening their capacity to combat cyber-enabled financial crimes, dismantle organised criminal syndicates and disrupt the complex money laundering systems that sustain transnational fraud.
INTERPOL stated that the success of Operation First Light 2026 demonstrates the critical importance of global collaboration in combating cybercrime and financial fraud, particularly as criminal organisations continue to exploit digital technologies, cryptocurrencies and international financial systems to target victims across borders.
The organisation noted that Operation First Light 2026 involved participation from 97 countries and territories spanning Africa, Europe, Asia, the Americas and Oceania, including Nigeria, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, China, Singapore, South Africa, France, Brazil, India, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and dozens of other nations.
INTERPOL expressed optimism that the intelligence gathered during the operation would support additional investigations and future arrests as authorities continue efforts to dismantle international criminal networks responsible for billions of dollars in annual financial losses worldwide.
