Interpol secretary general: "The increase in this crime caused by the corona epidemic does not show signs of decline, this is the corresponding epidemic"

One thousand people were arrested, more than 2,300 bank accounts were blocked, and $ 27 million was confiscated as part of a global operation led by Interpol against online fraud. The operation lasted four months and was attended by law enforcement officials from 20 countries. It focused on different types of online scams - romance, investing, money laundering, illegal gambling and more.

The operation, HAECHI-II, is the second in a special three-year project to tackle cyber-financial crime, managed by Interpol and aided by South Korea (HAECHI is a Korean mythical creature, with a well-developed sense of justice, protecting against fire and other disasters). The previous operation, HAECHI-I, was conducted for about six months starting in September 2020, and focused on the countries of Southeast Asia.

"The results of the operation show that the increase in online financial crime, caused by the corona plague, shows no signs of fading," Interpol secretary Jürgen Stock said, adding that only through global cooperation can law enforcement deal with the parallel epidemic of cybercrime. ".

As part of the operation, more than 1,600 cases of fraud were solved - from extorting millions from a Colombian textile company, as part of a fake settlement, to the capture of a Trojan horse disguised as the app of the popular "Squid Game" series. For the first time, Interpol used a new mechanism called ARRP, a rapid response protocol to the anti-money laundering ban - a kind of international network for freezing the transfer of payments. The operation served as a pilot for the new mechanism, which is expected to go into regular use next year.

The countries participating in the operation are: Angola, Brunei, Cambodia, Colombia, China, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Philippines, Romania, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Thailand, Vietnam.