Some 3,500 alleged online fraudsters have been arrested, and $300 million seized, in an operation conducted with the cooperation of 34 countries, Interpol reported on Tuesday.
Dubbed 'HAECHI IV,' the Interpol-led initiative spanned six months, from July to December. It targeted seven types of cyber fraud, including voice phishing, romance scams, online sexual extortion, and money laundering linked to illegal online gambling.
Investment fraud and scams involving compromised business emails or e-commerce accounted for 75% of the cases handled.
Authorities blocked more than 82,000 suspect bank accounts, seizing a total of $199 million in solid currency and $101 million in digital assets.
Interpol has issued two “purple” notices in connection with this wide-ranging operation. One focuses on a new fraud detected in Korea that involves selling non-fungible tokens (NFTs) with promises of massive returns on investment.
The other notice warns of the use of artificial intelligence and “deep fake” technology to make identity theft more believable.
The UK branch of the operation reported several cases in which AI-generated synthetic content was used to deceive, harass or extort victims.
Some cases also involved the imitation of victims’ acquaintances using voice cloning technology.
