An INTERPOL-coordinated operation across 40 countries and territories has resulted in the recovery of USD 342 million in government-backed currencies and USD 97 million in physical and virtual assets, authorities announced today. Operation HAECHI VI, conducted between April and August 2025, targeted seven types of cyber-enabled financial crimes, including voice phishing, romance scams, online sextortion, investment fraud, money laundering linked to illegal online gambling, business email compromise, and e-commerce fraud. Investigators worked collaboratively to detect and disrupt online fraud and money laundering activities, blocking over 68,000 bank accounts and freezing nearly 400 cryptocurrency wallets. Approximately USD 16 million in suspected illicit profits were recovered from cryptocurrency holdings.
The operation produced tangible results across several countries. In Portugal, local authorities dismantled a syndicate responsible for diverting social security funds meant for vulnerable families, arresting 45 suspects who had stolen EUR 228,000 (USD 270,000) from 531 victims. In Thailand, the Royal Thai Police seized USD 6.6 million in stolen assets, marking the largest single-case recovery in the country to date. The case involved a sophisticated business email compromise scam carried out by a transnational organized crime group comprising Thai and West African nationals, which deceived a major Japanese corporation into transferring funds to a fictitious business partner in Bangkok. Brazilian authorities launched operations to dismantle electronic banking fraud schemes, while in Macao, China, law enforcement cracked down on criminals conducting impersonation scams on popular mobile and online payment platforms. In Malaysia, dozens of laptops, SIM cards, and phones linked to a scam syndicate were confiscated, highlighting the widespread reach of cyber-enabled criminal networks.
INTERPOL’s Global Rapid Intervention of Payments (I-GRIP) system played a crucial role in intercepting stolen funds. The Korean National Police Agency collaborated with Emirati authorities to recover KRW 6.6 billion (USD 3.91 million) that had been sent to an illegitimate bank account in Dubai after forged shipping documents were detected by a Korean steel company. The rapid communication enabled by I-GRIP ensured the funds were intercepted and returned in full, demonstrating the effectiveness of international cooperation in real-time financial crime prevention.
Theos Badege, Director pro tempore of INTERPOL’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, emphasized the significance of the operation, stating that HAECHI demonstrates that lost funds can be recovered and global cooperation can safeguard financial systems. Lee Jun Hyeong, Head of Korea’s INTERPOL National Central Bureau in Seoul, highlighted that the operation illustrates the power of unified action in disrupting cyber-enabled financial crime and reaffirmed Korea’s commitment to strengthening partnerships with INTERPOL and international law enforcement agencies. A debrief of Operation HAECHI VI recently took place in Singapore, reinforcing the importance of coordinated efforts to combat complex, transnational cybercrime.
