Category: Intelligence

Source: Interpol (news and events)

LYON, FRANCE – A transcontinental police operation against online financial crime has concluded with almost 3,500 arrests and seizures of USD 300 million (approx. EUR 273 million) worth of assets across 34 countries.

The six-month Operation HAECHI IV (July-December 2023) targeted seven types of cyber-enabled scams: voice phishing, romance scams, online sextortion, investment fraud, money laundering associated with illegal online gambling, business email compromise fraud, and e-commerce fraud.

Investigators worked together to detect online fraud and freeze associated bank and virtual asset service provider (VASP) accounts using INTERPOL’s Global Rapid Intervention of Payments (I-GRIP), a stop-payment mechanism which helps countries work together to block criminal proceeds.

Cooperation between Filipino and Korean authorities led to the arrest in Manila of a high-profile online gambling criminal after a two-year manhunt by Korea’s National Police Agency.

Authorities blocked 82,112 suspicious bank accounts, seizing a combined USD 199 million in hard currency and USD 101 million in virtual assets.

“HAECHI IV’s 200 per cent surge in arrests shows the persistent challenge of cyber-enabled crime, reminding us to stay alert and keep refining our tactics against online fraud, which is why INTERPOL operations like this are so important. Thank you to all concerned, especially colleagues from the Philippines and Korea.”

Investment fraud, business email compromise and e-commerce fraud accounted for 75 per cent of cases investigated in HAECHI IV.

Working with a number of VASPs, INTERPOL helped frontline officers identify 367 virtual asset accounts linked to transnational organized crime.  Police in member countries froze the assets and investigations are ongoing.

INTERPOL’s Head of National Central Bureau in Korea, Kim Dong Kwon, said:

“It is remarkable that global efforts to stay ahead of the latest criminal trends have resulted in a substantial growth in operational outcomes.

“Despite criminals’ endeavors to gain illicit advantages through contemporary trends, they will eventually be apprehended and face due punishment. To accomplish this, Project HAECHI will consistently evolve and expand its scope.”

Two Purple Notices were published during Operation HAECHI IV warning countries about emerging digital investment fraud practices.

One alerted INTERPOL member countries to a new scam detected in Korea involving the sale of Non-Fungible Tokens with promises of huge returns, which turned out to be a “rug pull”, a growing scam in the crypto industry where developers abruptly abandon a project and investors lose their money.

The second purple notice warned about the use of AI and deep fake technology to lend credibility to scams by enabling criminals to hide their identities and to pretend to be family member, friends or love interests.  

The UK leg of the operation reported several cases where AI-generated synthetic content was used to deceive, defraud, harass, and extort victims, particularly through impersonation scams, online sexual blackmail, and investment fraud. Cases also involved the impersonation of people known to the victims through voice cloning technology.

HAECHI operations are supported financially by Korea.

HAECHI IV participating countries:  Argentina, Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Cayman Islands, Ghana, Hong Kong (China), India, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Korea, Romania, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam.

Source: Interpol (news and events)

LYON, France – In the first operation coordinated across Asia by INTERPOL against illicit firearms, authorities in 10 countries have made over 1,700 arrests and seized 714 firearms, 921 parts and components, and 45,383 rounds of ammunition.

From 13 – 24 November, Operation Trigger-Salvo II aimed to disrupt the cross-border movement of firearms, and determine potential links between transnational organized criminal groups, firearms trafficking and terrorists.

In Central, South and East Asia, small and light weapons have become the norm for terrorist groups and criminal organizations as they are inexpensive and easy to conceal, transport and access.

This was evidenced in Pakistan, where several hundred firearms, their parts, and ammunition were recovered, mainly in the provinces bordering with Afghanistan. This led to 614 arrests, new investigations and greater insights into the routes used by trucks from Afghanistan to ferry firearms and ammunition into Pakistan.

Mohsin Hassan Butt, Director General of Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency, said:

“Trigger-Salvo II was an important opportunity to disrupt the trafficking of firearms in border provinces with Afghanistan and to build a better understanding of trafficking routes to Pakistan and Central Asia.  Firearms from Afghanistan are a threat to Pakistan and Central Asia and we are in greater need to limit the diversion and trafficking of these firearms to neighbouring countries and beyond. We hope to repeat this type of initiative in the future.”

Curbing the transnational flow of illegal weapons is even more challenging in the region due to the high number of sophisticated firearms in circulation, porous borders, difficult terrain, and regional conflicts.

This security landscape is further complicated by the convergence of terrorist groups, foreign terrorist fighters and transnational organized criminal syndicates. The presence of such crime groups was highlighted when 254 suspected victims of human trafficking were rescued in the Philippines.

With trafficked weapons and associated criminal activities representing a funding source for criminals and terrorists, the operation also netted approximately 4.7 tons of drugs, while authorities in Kyrgyzstan seized 52 kg of gold ingots worth some USD 3.27 million.

INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock said:

“Illicit firearms facilitate other types of crime and pose a threat to regional and global security, whilst providing lucrative profits for criminals.”

INTERPOL mobile devices were deployed to border checkpoints during the operation, allowing for instant checks against its global databases. These generated 92 hits, including 13 for individuals targeted by INTERPOL notices. Among these, a Korean national wanted internationally under a Red Notice for his alleged links to prostitution rings was arrested in the Philippines, where a Japanese national tied to the Luffy organized crime group behind financial scams and robberies was also arrested.

Through operations such as Trigger Salvo, in partnership with the World Customs Organization (WCO) INTERPOL is supporting Central and Southeastern Asian law enforcement authorities to conduct further cross-border operations targeting the trafficking of firearms and other goods.

The operation was funded by China’s Ministry of Public Security.

Participating countries: Brunei, China (including Hong Kong and Macao), Indonesia, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore.