Interpol seized over $ 100 million in cryptocurrency from cybercriminals

Interpol has reported on the results of a six-month operation to combat cyber fraud. During HAECHI IV, police detained nearly 3,500 suspects and seized assets worth $ 300 million, of which $ 101 million was cryptocurrency. Interpol representatives said this in a press release.

The six-month operation was aimed at combating several types of cyber fraud, including:

• voice phishing
• investment fraud;
• money laundering related to online gambling;
• email compromise fraud.

HAECHI IV was attended by law enforcement agencies from 34 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Argentina, Spain, Poland, and others. Investigators worked together to identify fraud cases and simultaneously froze either bank accounts or accounts of virtual asset service providers (VASPs).

INTERPOL actively used the Global Rapid Intervention Mechanism (I-GRIP) to block the proceeds of crime. In total, law enforcement officers blocked 82,112 suspicious bank accounts, from which they confiscated $ 199 million in fiat and $ 101 million in digital assets. According to the report, Interpol froze 367 accounts that held cryptocurrency. All of them are linked to transnational organized crime.

As a reminder, Tether, the issuer of the most popular USD stablecoin on the market, recently introduced a new wallet freezing policy to help law enforcement agencies fight the illegal use of stablecoins. Later, Tether reported on the first successes — the company froze 326 wallets with a total balance of $ 435 million.