In a collaborative effort involving 34 nations and funded by South Korea, Interpol has successfully concluded a six-month transnational police operation named Operation HAECHI IV. This operation resulted in the arrest of 3,500 alleged cybercriminals and the seizure of a substantial amount totaling $300 million in both cash and digital assets. The international effort aimed to combat various cyber-enabled scams, including voice phishing, romance scams, online sextortion, investment fraud, money laundering associated with illegal online gambling, business email compromise fraud, and e-commerce fraud.
Operation HAECHI IV, which concluded in December, showcased the effectiveness of global cooperation in tackling cybercrime. Notably, the majority of the crimes investigated during the operation were related to business email compromise, e-commerce fraud, and investment fraud, constituting about three-quarters of the cases. Interpol, on Tuesday, disclosed the outcomes of the operation and highlighted the success of its collaboration with various nations.
As part of the operation, Interpol issued two “Purple Notices,” which provide information on criminal modus operandi, objects, devices, and concealment methods. One of the Purple Notices outlined a scam detected in South Korea involving non-fungible tokens (NFTs), where investors were enticed with promises of significant returns. The scam, identified as a “rug pull,” involved the disappearance of operators after investors purchased tokens, leaving them with worthless digital assets. The other Purple Notice warned about the use of AI and deep fake technology to enhance the credibility of scams, allowing criminals to hide their identities and impersonate family members, friends, or love interests.
The success of the operation was underscored by the use of the Interpol Global Rapid Intervention of Payments (I-GRIP) mechanism, which halted payments to prevent criminal proceeds from flowing through the global financial system. Operation HAECHI IV resulted in the blocking of 82,112 suspicious bank accounts, and the seizure of $199 million in hard currency and $101 million in virtual assets. Interpol has celebrated the operation as a significant achievement, marking a 200 percent increase in arrests compared to previous efforts.
