[German]Internet fraud through social engineering has now reached massive proportions and is having a negative impact on some societies. As a result, Interpol and national police agencies have been cracking down on Internet fraudsters in an international operation called "First Light 2022." In the process, thousands of social engineering fraudsters were identified and arrested. The operation was carried out in 76 countries and included the seizure of criminal assets.
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A global crackdown on social engineering fraud identified fraudsters around the world, seized significant criminal assets and triggered new investigative leads on every continent, Interpol writes in the press release. The two-month operation, code-named "First Light 2022," spanned from March 8 to May 8, 2022, and involved 76 countries. The international operation targeted organized crime gangs behind telecommunications and social engineering scams.
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Police in participating countries raided national call centers suspected of telecommunications or fraud. Social engineering fraud refers to scams in which people are manipulated or tricked into revealing confidential or personal information that can then be used for criminal financial gain. The operation, based on preliminary figures, involved:
- 1,770 searches were conducted worldwide and
- around 3,000 suspects were identified
- around 2,000 operators, fraudsters and money launderers were arrested and
- around 4,000 bank accounts were frozen
In total, local police authorities seized illegal funds worth around $50 million. Investigators have released some examples of the cases.
Fraud victims in Singapore
Based on intelligence shared during the operation, Singapore police rescued a teenage fraud victim who had been tricked into faking a kidnapping, sending videos of himself with fake wounds to his parents, and demanding a €1.5 million ransom.
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Chinese fraudster apprehended
A Chinese national wanted in connection with a Ponzi scheme estimated to have defrauded nearly 24,000 victims of 34 million euros has been arrested in Papua New Guinea and returned to China via Singapore.
Get-rich-quick schemes
As the Internet opens up new online career opportunities, companies and professionals targeting e-commerce affiliates and EBShopp business opportunities are increasingly being defrauded. As part of Operation First Light 2022, Singapore police have arrested eight suspects linked to quick-ball system-like job scams. The scammers offered high-paying online marketing jobs via social media and messaging systems, where victims earned little initially and then had to recruit more members to earn commissions..
New findings
Interpol gained new insights and capabilities with the raids and during the operation. This includes how helpers laundered money through victims' personal bank accounts. But there were also insights into how social media platforms drive human trafficking and involve people in forced labor, sexual slavery, or captivity in casinos or on fishing vessels.
Interpol notes an increase in vishing scams. This involves criminals posing as bank employees to trick victims into sharing online credentials. There has also been an increase in cyber criminals posing as INTERPOL officers to obtain money from victims who believe they are under investigation.
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