An INTERPOL-coordinated operation across 40 countries and territories, targeting seven types of cyber-enabled financial crimes, has resulted in the recovery of $97 million in physical and digital assets, along with $342 million in government-backed currencies.
In the coordinated international effort, called ‘Operation HAECHI VI,’ investigators from around the world worked together to detect and disrupt online fraud as well as money laundering activities, blocking over 68,000 associated bank accounts and freezing close to 400 digital asset wallets.
Around $16 million in suspected illicit profits was recovered from these digital asset wallets, revealed INTERPOL, in a September 24 press release.
“While many people believe that funds lost to fraud and scams are often irretrievable, the outcomes of HAECHI operations demonstrate that recovery is indeed possible,” said Theos Badege, Director pro tempore of INTERPOL’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre. “As one of INTERPOL’s flagship financial crime operations, HAECHI is a prime example of how global cooperation can protect communities and safeguard financial systems.”
He added that, “we encourage more member countries to join us in this collective effort, so that meaningful difference can be made in the fight against cyber-enabled crime.”
The operation ran from April to August 2025 and focused on voice phishing, romance scams, online sextortion, investment fraud, money laundering, business email compromise, and e-commerce fraud.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) published its ‘Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2025‘ in January, which found that 72% of respondents reported cyber risks had risen in the past year. It also highlighted the increasing complexities in cybersecurity, partly due to the rapid adoption of emerging technologies.
Meanwhile, in August, data analytics site Statista predicted that, based on current trends, the annual cost of cybercrime worldwide could reach $15.63 trillion by 2029.
As a response to such stats, INTERPOL (the ‘International Criminal Police Organization’)—the world’s largest international police agency—has made a point of attempting to up its capabilities in the area over the past few years.
With Operation HAECHI VI, it coordinated with local authorities around the globe to meet the complex cross-border challenges that modern cybercrime often presents.
In Portugal, local authorities “successfully dismantled a sprawling syndicate” involving several interconnected groups that had been diverting funds meant to support vulnerable families.
According to INTERPOL, 45 suspects were arrested for illegally accessing social security accounts and altering bank details, which resulted in EUR 228,000 ($270,000) being stolen from 531 victims.
Meanwhile, in Thailand, the Royal Thai Police seized $6.6 million in stolen assets, “marking the largest single-case recovery in the country to date.”
The case involved a sophisticated business email compromise scam perpetrated by a transnational organized crime group, comprising Thai and West African nationals. The gang deceived a major Japanese corporation into transferring funds to a fictitious business partner based in Bangkok.
Another success for Operation HAECHI VI came in South Korea, where INTERPOL’s ‘Global Rapid Intervention of Payments (I-GRIP)‘—a stop-payment mechanism launched in 2022—was used to block criminal proceeds.
The Korean National Police Agency worked with Emirati authorities to successfully recover KRW 6.6 billion ($3.91 million) sent to an illegitimate bank account in Dubai, after a Korean steel company noticed that shipping documents had been forged.
“Rapid communication between the two countries via I-GRIP enabled the stolen funds to be intercepted and returned in full,” said INTERPOL.
HAECHI VI was financially supported by the Republic of Korea. Lee Jun Hyeong, Head of South Korea’s INTERPOL National Central Bureau in Seoul, said the operation had “time and again demonstrated the power of unified global action in eradicating cyber-enabled financial crime.”
He added that “the Republic of Korea has been at the forefront of international cooperation by disrupting illicit financial flows and apprehending key offenders. We will continue to strengthen partnerships with INTERPOL and global law enforcement to proactively and sustainably respond to the evolving crime landscape.”
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Source: https://coingeek.com/interpol-seizes-97m-in-assets-in-cybercrime-crackdown/