Security News > 2021 > May > Interpol Says 585 People Arrested in APAC Operation Against Cyber-Enabled Crime
Interpol revealed last week that specialized law enforcement officers in the Asia-Pacific region intercepted more than $83 million in fraudulent money transfers as part of a six-month coordinated effort aimed at cyber-enabled financial crime.
Codenamed HAECHI-I, the operation mainly targeted five types of online financial crime: investment fraud, money laundering, online sextortion, romance scams, and voice phishing.
The operation resulted in over 1,600 bank accounts worldwide being frozen as part of roughly 1,400 investigations opened between September 2020 and March 2021, with a total of 892 cases being solved.
As part of the effort, authorities arrested a total of 585 individuals, Interpol says.
Operation HAECHI-I, the first effort of a three-year project aimed at combating cyber-enabled financial crime in Korea, saw participation from authorities in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Korea, Laos, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Although focused on the APAC region, the investigations conducted as part of this operation ended up becoming international.