Nigeria Joins Global INTERPOL Anti-Fraud Crackdown

Nigeria joined 96 other countries in Operation First Light 2026, a major INTERPOL campaign that tackled cyber fraud, money laundering, and other cyber-enabled financial crimes. The global operation ran from 15 January to 30 April and led to the arrest of 5,811 suspects while authorities intercepted $293 million in suspected illicit assets. Operation First Light also uncovered more than 142,000 victims across the world.

The coordinated effort focused on social engineering crimes, including business email compromise, romance scams, investment fraud, impersonation schemes and sextortion. During Operation First Light, investigators examined 152,808 fraud cases, blocked 31,014 bank accounts, solved 23,715 cases, identified 15,606 suspects, and issued 99 INTERPOL Notices and Diffusions to strengthen international cooperation.

Tomonobu Kaya, Director of INTERPOL’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, stressed the growing danger posed by organised fraud groups. He said, “Social engineering s+xsc@ms continue to pose a significant threat to our society. Criminal syndicates exploit human psychology to manipulate their targets, and no nation can stay safe unless all countries are equipped and committed to jointly fighting back,”

The operation also recorded major successes in several countries. In Eswatini, authorities dismantled a criminal network involved in online gambling, money laundering, and impersonation scams. Officers arrested 82 suspects and recovered 240 electronic devices, foreign currencies, and a fake Brazilian police station used to trick victims into sending money.

In Thailand, investigators uncovered a cryptocurrency laundering network linked to romance scams after finding that a 20-year-old suspect had processed more than $122.5 million through a digital wallet within ten months. Meanwhile, Singapore and Oman stopped a fraudulent $6.6 million transfer using INTERPOL’s I-GRIP payment intervention system, while police in Macao prevented another victim from losing almost $372,000 in an impersonation scam. Operation First Light highlights the importance of global cooperation in fighting cyber-enabled financial crime.

How important do you think international cooperation is in tackling the growing threat of cyber fraud?