Global cyber fraud: historic crackdown by Interpol with over 5,800 arrests and 167 billion FCFA seized.

A total of 97 countries and territories around the world joined forces. This coordinated deployment led to the interception of more than 5,800 individuals and uncovered a massive fraud network, identifying over 142,000 victims globally.

​Technical efficiency and staggering figures

After an initial phase dedicated to the strategic collection and sharing of intelligence, participating law enforcement agencies conducted intensive interventions for over three months. The operational and accounting results demonstrate the scale of this crackdown:

• ​293 million US dollars (about 167 billion CFA francs) in illicit assets were seized.
• ​152,808 cases were closely analyzed by investigators.
• ​31,014 bank accounts were blocked worldwide.
• ​23,715 cases were resolved with the formal identification of 15,606 suspects.
• ​99 notices and international alerts were issued by Interpol.

This pursuit of illicit financial flows, whether in cash or virtual assets, was facilitated by the use of Interpol’s advanced I-GRIP mechanism (Global Rapid Intervention System for Payments), which allows for near-instant freezing of fraudulent funds.

​Strong mobilization in Africa: The incredible crackdown in Eswatini

Africa played an active role in this initiative with 22 engaged countries, including 19 from Sub-Saharan Africa (notably Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo).

One of the most remarkable successes of this African mobilization occurred in Eswatini. Local law enforcement dismantled an audacious criminal network specializing in illegal gambling, money laundering, and identity theft. During this operation, 82 individuals were arrested and 240 electronic devices were seized.

Even more astonishing, investigators discovered a perfect replica of a Brazilian police station, fully equipped with fake uniforms, signs, and misleading materials. The scammers used this setting during video calls to impersonate federal police agents from Brazil, convincing their victims to transfer their savings to so-called “secure” accounts.

Faced with the complexity of the computer data seized in this fake police station, Interpol had to dispatch an operational support team to assist local investigators.

​Social engineering: a major psychological threat

Social engineering encompasses psychological manipulation techniques aimed at getting victims to disclose confidential information or make bank transfers. These frauds manifest in multiple forms: romantic scams, identity theft, compromises of professional messaging services, investment scams, or sexual extortion.

Tomonobu Kaya, Director of Interpol’s Financial Crime and Corruption Center, emphasized during this report that these criminal networks excel at exploiting human psychology’s vulnerabilities. He warned that only ultra-strengthened and continuous international cooperation will effectively contain this creeping financial threat.