Security News > 2023 > December > Interpol moves against human traffickers who enslave people to scam you online

Hundreds of suspected people smugglers have been arrested, and 163 potential victims rescued from servitude, as part of an Interpol-coordinated operation dubbed "Turquesa V" that targeted cyber criminals who lure workers into servitude to carry out their scams.

When the victims showed up for their first day on the job, they were forced into working for cyber investment scam operations and not allowed to leave.

In all, Operation Turquesa V saw police in 33 countries conduct over 850,000 checks at major transit points in the US and Canada frequented by people smugglers between November 27 and December 1.

The five-day operation led to 257 arrests and about 12,000 stops of what Interpol described as "Irregular migrants" from 69 countries.

"The number of nationalities detected during Operation Turquesa V demonstrates how this major migration corridor, once considered a route reserved to the Americas, has become the target of organized crime groups from around the world," Interpol secretary general Jürgen Stock declared in a statement.

Turquesa V followed a different Interpol-led operation, Storm Makers II, which also led to hundreds of arrests and the rescue of more than 140 individuals who were being trafficked to work in call centers as part of cyber fraud operations.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/12/12/interpol_cyberscam_trafficker_action/