INTERPOL Operation Leads to 5,800 Arrests, Busts Crypto Money Laundering Ring

The crackdown highlights the urgent need for enhanced global crypto regulations to prevent large-scale financial crimes and protect victims. The post Interpol links $123M crypto wallet to romance scam ring after global crackdown appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

The post INTERPOL-Led Global Fraud Crackdown Nets 5,800 Arrests appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. INTERPOL operation across 97 countries leads to 5,811 arrests and $293M in seized illicit assets. Operation First Light 2026 uncovers 142,000 victims of global fraud and social engineering scams. Authorities disrupt crypto laundering, impersonation schemes, BEC scams, and other cyber-enabled crimes. An INTERPOL-led anti-fraud operation spanning 97 countries and territories led to the arrest of 5,811 people and the interception of $293 million in illicit assets.  Operation First Light 2026 ran from January 15 to April 30. It targeted social engineering scams and the money laundering networks that support them. Investigators focused on business email compromise (BEC), romance scams, investment fraud, impersonation schemes, and sextortion. After an intelligence-gathering phase, law enforcement agencies carried out more than three months of coordinated action. Authorities conducted raids, m

The post Interpol Ties $122.5M Crypto Wallet to Romance Scam Ring appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. Thai police made two arrests as Interpol’s 97-country sweep logged 5,811 arrests and $293 million in intercepted assets. A 20-year-old’s cryptocurrency wallet processed more than $122.5 million in suspected romance-scam proceeds over 10 months, Interpol said, after Thai police made two arrests tied to a cross-chain laundering scheme uncovered during a global crackdown. The case surfaced from Operation First Light 2026, a sweep coordinated by Interpol that led to 5,811 arrests and the interception of $293 million in illicit assets across 97 countries and territories, the organization said in a statement posted to its official X account Thursday. The operation identified more than 142,000 victims worldwide, blocked 31,014 bank accounts, analyzed 152,808 cases and issued 99 Interpol Notices and Diffusions, using its Global Rapid Intervention of Payments mechanism to freeze both fiat and

Thai police made two arrests as Interpol's 97-country sweep logged 5,811 arrests and $293 million in intercepted assets.

The post INTERPOL seizes $293 million, arrests 5,811 in global scam crackdown appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. INTERPOL revealed in a statement that was shared on Thursday, July 9, that a four-month operation spanning 97 countries and territories arrested 5,811 people and froze $293 million in illicit money.  This sweep also reached some crypto holders as the investigators traced romance-scam profits laundered through cross-chain token swaps.  The operation, called First Light 2026, ran from January 15 to April 30, according to INTERPOL’s statement. Its focus was social engineering, the practice of exploiting a person’s trust to extract money or account details. That category covers business email compromise, sextortion, romance, impersonation, and investment scams, along with the laundering networks that move the proceeds. INTERPOL counted more than 142,000 victims over the four months. Alongside the arrests, police blocked 31,014 bank accounts, solved 23,715 cases, identified ano

The post Romance Scam Suspect’s Crypto Wallet Processed $122M: Interpol appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. A crypto wallet linked to a suspected romance-scam money launderer processed more than $122.5 million in 10 months, according to Interpol, as authorities expanded a global crackdown on online fraud. Interpol said Thursday that Thai authorities arrested two suspects and uncovered a money-laundering network that funneled proceeds from romance scams into cryptocurrencies, using cross-chain token swaps to obscure the trail. The Thai investigation was part of Operation First Light 2026, an Interpol-coordinated campaign targeting social engineering scams and the financial infrastructure used to launder their proceeds. The operation involved authorities in 97 countries and territories, resulting in 5,811 arrests and the seizure of $293 million in illicit assets tied to fraud and money laundering. Tomonobu Kaya, director of Interpol’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, said soc

Interpol said a suspect's crypto wallet processed over $122.5 million in 10 months as authorities uncovered the scheme during a global anti-fraud operation that led to 5,811 arrests.

The post INTERPOL operation blocks illicit crypto transfers and leads to 5,811 arrests appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. INTERPOL-led operation has resulted in 5,811 arrests, blocked more than 31,000 bank accounts, and intercepted $293 million in illicit assets across 97 countries and territories during a global crackdown on fraud and crypto-linked money laundering. Summary INTERPOL’s global anti fraud operation led to 5,811 arrests and intercepted $293 million in illicit assets across 97 countries and territories. Thai authorities uncovered a crypto laundering network that allegedly moved romance scam proceeds through cross chain token swaps, with one wallet processing more than $122.5 million. The operation identified more than 142,000 victims and used rapid payment blocking tools to freeze suspicious fiat and cryptocurrency transfers. According to an INTERPOL statement published on Thursday, Operation First Light ran between Jan. 15 and April 30, 2026, targeting social engineerin