Nigeria na one of di 97 countries wey join INTERPOL for big anti-fraud operation wey don see 5,811 suspects arrested and $293 million wey dem intercept as illicit assets. Di operation wey dem call ‘Operation First Light 2026’ happun between January 15 and April 30, 2026, and e target social engineering scams and money laundering networks.
According to INTERPOL report wey dem release on Thursday, di operation identify more than 15,600 alleged fraudsters and over 142,000 victims worldwide. Di international police organisation tok say social engineering scams na one of di fastest-growing global security threats wey dey affect governments, businesses, and millions of pipo.
Di operation combine intelligence gathering, information sharing, and coordinated enforcement activities. Participating countries carry out raids, freeze bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets, execute arrests, and issue international notices. Dem also use INTERPOL’s Global Rapid Intervention of Payments (I-GRIP) mechanism to swiftly block illicit financial transfers.
INTERPOL say di operation produce significant results, including analysis of 152,808 fraud-related cases, blocking of 31,014 bank accounts, resolution of 23,715 cases, and identification of 15,606 suspects. Authorities also issue 99 INTERPOL Notices and Diffusions to facilitate international cooperation and arrests.
Di international police organisation explain say di operation focus primarily on social engineering fraud, wey be category of cybercrime where criminals manipulate victims into voluntarily disclosing confidential information or transferring money. These schemes include business email compromise, romance scams, investment fraud, impersonation scams, and sextortion.
One of di major breakthroughs record during di operation occur for Eswatini, where authorities dismantle an extensive criminal syndicate allegedly involved in illegal online gambling, money laundering, and elaborate impersonation scams. Police arrest 82 suspects and seize 240 electronic devices, foreign currencies, and what INTERPOL describe as a highly realistic replica of a Brazilian police station, complete with fake police uniforms, official signage, and equipment.
Investigators say members of di syndicate impersonate officers of Brazil‘s Federal Police during video calls, convincing victims say dem dey involved in criminal investigations before instructing dem to transfer funds into purported ‘safe’ accounts, from which di money subsequently stolen. Due to di complexity of di digital evidence recovered, INTERPOL deploy an Operational Support Team to Eswatini to assist local investigators with forensic examination of electronic devices.
For Thailand, authorities uncover a sophisticated cryptocurrency-based money laundering operation linked to romance scams. According to INTERPOL, di syndicate use multiple cryptocurrencies and cross-chain token swaps to conceal di origin and destination of illicit proceeds, making di financial trail more difficult for investigators to trace.
For Macao, China, an anti-fraud public awareness campaign conduct alongside di enforcement operation lead to di rescue of a victim wey dey on di verge of transferring nearly $372,000 to fraudsters. Di victim reportedly manipulated by criminals posing as government officials conducting a fictitious fraud investigation before police intervene.
Meanwhile, authorities for Palau deport 22 foreign nationals allegedly involved in operating two scam centres from hotels. INTERPOL say di suspects use cryptocurrency platforms and illegal online gambling websites to perpetrate fraud schemes targeting victims for multiple countries. Sri Lankan authorities also carry out extensive enforcement operations during di three-month campaign, arresting hundreds of suspects allegedly linked to cyber-enabled scam centres operating within di country.
Commenting on di outcome of di operation, Director of INTERPOL’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, Tomonobu Kaya, warn say organised criminal groups continue to exploit human psychology to commit financial crimes on a massive scale. Kaya say, ‘Social engineering scams continue to pose a significant threat to our society. Criminal syndicates exploit human psychology to manipulate their targets, and no nation can stay safe unless all countries are equipped and committed to jointly fighting back.’
He add say INTERPOL remain committed to supporting member countries in developing coordinated international strategies to combat cyber-enabled financial crimes, dismantle organised criminal networks, and disrupt di money laundering systems wey sustain dem. Di organisation note say di operation demonstrate di importance of international cooperation in tackling increasingly sophisticated cyber-enabled fraud schemes wey transcend national borders and exploit weaknesses in global financial systems.
