In one of the most extensive and coordinated crackdowns on cyber-enabled financial crime to date, law enforcement agencies across 40 countries have recovered a staggering US$439 million in illicit assets through INTERPOL’s Operation HAECHI VI. Conducted between April and August 2025, the operation marks a significant leap forward in the fight against online financial fraud, digital money laundering, and transnational organized crime.

The five-month global effort led to the recovery of US$342 million in government-backed currencies and an additional US$97 million in both physical and virtual assets. Authorities blocked over 68,000 bank accounts and froze nearly 400 cryptocurrency wallets suspected of facilitating criminal activities.

The operation’s success underscores a growing international recognition that cyber-enabled financial crimes – from romance scams and voice phishing to business email compromise (BEC) – represent not only a threat to individuals but also to the integrity of the global financial system.

Operation HAECHI VI focused on seven core areas of cyber-enabled financial crime:

These categories collectively account for billions in global losses every year. The operation sought not only to disrupt ongoing schemes but to identify the criminal networks behind them and recover the proceeds wherever possible.

Among the notable successes, Portuguese authorities dismantled a sprawling syndicate that had fraudulently diverted funds intended for vulnerable families. The suspects had illegally accessed government social security accounts, altered victims’ banking details, and siphoned off EUR 228,000 (US$270,000) from 531 victims. A total of 45 individuals were arrested.

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