3,500 Arrested in Global Operation HAECHI-IV Targeting Financial Criminals

3,500 Arrested in Global Operation HAECHI-IV Targeting Financial Criminals

December 20, 2023 at 04:03AM

The international police operation HAECHI-IV led to the arrests of 3,500 individuals in 34 countries, targeting financial crimes including voice phishing, romance scams, and investment fraud, and seizing $300 million. Authorities also froze 82,112 suspicious bank accounts, confiscating $199 million in hard currency and $101 million in virtual assets. Novel trends in AI and deepfake technology were observed.

Key takeaways from the meeting notes:

– International police operation HAECHI-IV resulted in the arrests of nearly 3,500 individuals and seizures worth $300 million across 34 countries.
– The operation targeted various financial crimes including voice phishing, romance scams, online sextortion, investment fraud, and money laundering associated with illegal online gambling.
– Authorities froze associated bank and virtual asset service provider (VASP) accounts, blocking 82,112 suspicious bank accounts and confiscating $199 million in hard currency and $101 million in virtual assets.
– Cooperation between Filipino and Korean authorities led to the arrest of a high-profile online gambling criminal in Manila.
– Novel trends in financial crimes involve the sale of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) with promises of huge returns and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and deepfake technology to elevate the authenticity of scams.
– HAECHI-IV follows HAECHI-III, which led to the seizure of $130 million worth of virtual assets in connection with a global crackdown on cyber-enabled financial crimes and money laundering.

These are the main points distilled from the meeting notes. Let me know if there’s anything else you need.

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