Law enforcement agencies worldwide have arrested thousands and frozen hundreds of millions in assets tied to bank-related fraud schemes.
The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) says it spearheaded Operation First Light 2026, an effort spanning 97 countries and territories and targeting social engineering scams and associated money laundering from January 15th to April 30th, 2026.
INTERPOL says the operation led to 5,811 arrests, the interception of $293 million in illicit assets and the analysis of 152,808 cases with 23,715 solved.
Investigators say they blocked 31,014 bank accounts tied to suspected fraud and issued 99 INTERPOL Notices and Diffusions.
“Over 142,000 victims globally were identified during Operation First Light 2026, highlighting the extent to which social engineering scams and fraud have escalated into a major transnational threat, affecting individuals, businesses and governments.”
According to INTERPOL, its Global Rapid Intervention of Payments mechanism facilitated the swift freezing of suspicious transfers of both fiat and crypto assets.
Says Tomonobu Kaya, Director of the INTERPOL Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre,
“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. INTERPOL is dedicated to supporting member countries in building a comprehensive, coordinated strategy to tackle cyber-enabled financial crimes, organized criminal networks and the money laundering that fuels them.”
Additional details from the operation underscore the coordinated international response to evolving cyber-enabled financial crimes that prey on bank customers through sophisticated social engineering tactics.
Authorities emphasized ongoing efforts to disrupt money laundering networks that convert stolen funds into usable assets across borders.
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