A two-month-long investigation by INTERPOL between March and May this year involved 76 countries and clamped down on organised crime groups behind telecommunications and social engineering scams.
INTERPOL says police in participating countries raided national call centres suspected of telecommunications or scamming fraud, particularly telephone deception, romance scams, email deception, and connected financial crime.
Preliminary figures reached so far include:
- 1,770 locations raided worldwide
- 3,000 suspects identified
- 2,000 operators, fraudsters and money launderers arrested
- 4,000 bank accounts frozen
- USD $50 million worth of illicit funds intercepted
INTERPOL says emerging trends from the operation, named Operation Firstlight 2022, included how money mule herders are laundering money through the personal bank accounts of victims, and social media platforms are driving human trafficking.
There’s also an increase in vishing fraud with criminals pretending to be bank officials to trick victims into sharing online log-in details and growth in cybercriminals posing as INTERPOL officials to obtain money from victims believing themselves to be under investigation.
INTERPOL director of financial crime and anti-corruption centre (IFCACC) Rory Corcoran says telecom and BEC fraud are sources of serious concern for many countries and have a hugely damaging effect on economies, businesses and communities.
“The international nature of these crimes can only…
