November 25, 2022
An INTERPOL law enforcement operation codenamed “HAECHI III,” which ran from June 28 to November 23, 2022, has resulted in the arrest of 975 people, the closure of over 1,600 cases, and the seizure of $130 million in virtual assets as part of a global crackdown on cyber-enabled financial crimes and money laundering.
The apprehended cyber criminals were involved in romance scams, voice phishing, sextortion, investment fraud, and money laundering in connection with illegal online gambling.
Those arrested include two Koreans in Greece and Italy who stole $29,100,000 from 2,000 Korean victims, as well as members of an India-based crime group that impersonated INTERPOL officers to call victims and trick them into sending $159,000 in cryptocurrency.
The operation also resulted in the seizure of 25.83 Bitcoin as well as approximately $37,000 in various digital wallets. One of the suspects’ bank account, which held $37,000, was also frozen.
INTERPOL also issued 95 notices and diffusions, as well as detecting sixteen new crime trends that will assist law enforcement around the world in taking more targeted action against cybercriminals.
The sources for this piece include an article in BleepingComputer.
