An INTERPOL Operational Support Team is deployed to support authorities in Eswatini. Credit: INTERPOL
A global anti-fraud operation involving 97 countries and territories has led to the arrest of 5,811 suspects and the interception of approximately $293m in illicit assets linked to financial crimes and online scams.
The operation, codenamed Operation First Light 2026, was coordinated by INTERPOL and ran between January 15 and April 30, 2026.
According to INTERPOL in a statement released on Thursday, the operation targeted social engineering scams and associated money laundering activities, including business email compromise, sextortion, romance scams, impersonation fraud and investment scams.
During the three-month operation, hundreds of suspects were arrested in Sri Lanka for their involvement in cyber scam centres. Credit: INTERPOL
