SINGAPORE – An INTERPOL-coordinated operation across 40 countries and territories has resulted in the recovery of USD 342 million in government-backed currencies, along with USD 97 million in physical and virtual assets.
Operation HAECHI VI (April - August 2025), targeted seven types of cyber-enabled financial crimes: voice phishing, romance scams, online sextortion, investment fraud, money laundering associated with illegal online gambling, business email compromise and e-commerce fraud.
Investigators worked together to detect and disrupt online fraud as well as money laundering activities, blocking over 68,000 associated bank accounts and freezing close to 400 cryptocurrency wallets.
In addition, around USD 16 million in suspected illicit profits was recovered from cryptocurrency wallets.
Depriving criminals of their illegal gains
In Portugal, local authorities successfully dismantled a sprawling syndicate involving several interconnected groups that had been diverting funds meant to support vulnerable families. 45 suspects were arrested for illegally accessing social security accounts and altering bank details which resulted in EUR 228,000 (USD 270,000) stolen from 531 victims.
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 perpetrated by a transnational organized crime group comprising Thai and West African nationals. The gang deceived a major Japanese corporation into transferring funds to a fictitious business partner based in Bangkok.
INTERPOL’s Global Rapid Intervention of Payments (I-GRIP), a stop-payment mechanism launched in 2022, was extensively utilized to block criminal proceeds. The Korean National Police Agency worked with Emirati authorities to successfully recover KRW 6.6 billion (USD 3.91 million) sent to an illegitimate bank account in Dubai after a Korean steel company noticed that shipping documents had been forged. Rapid communication between the two countries via I-GRIP enabled the stolen funds to be intercepted and returned in full.
Theos Badege, Director pro tempore of INTERPOL’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre said:
“While many people believe that funds lost to fraud and scams are often irretrievable, the outcomes of HAECHI operations demonstrate that recovery is indeed possible. As one of INTERPOL’s flagship financial crime operations, HAECHI is a prime example of how global cooperation can protect communities and safeguard financial systems. We encourage more member countries to join us in this collective effort, so that meaningful difference can be made in the fight against cyber-enabled crime.”
Lee Jun Hyeong, Head of Korea’s INTERPOL National Central Bureau in Seoul said:
“Operation HAECHI has time and again demonstrated the power of unified global action in eradicating cyber-enabled financial crime. The Republic of Korea has been at the forefront of international cooperation by disrupting illicit financial flows and apprehending key offenders. We will continue to strengthen partnerships with INTERPOL and global law enforcement to proactively and sustainably respond to the evolving crime landscape.”
Notes to Editor
HAECHI operations are financially supported by the Republic of Korea.
HAECHI VI participating countries and territories: Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Cayman Islands (UK), China, Germany, Ghana, Hong Kong (China), India, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea (Republic of), Liechtenstein, Macao (China), Malaysia, Maldives, Nigeria, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Timor-Leste, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam.
