INTERPOL, the international police organization, has announced the seizure of $300 million in assets and the arrests of about 3,500 suspects as the result of a months-long investigation into voice phishing, romance scams, online sextortion, investment fraud, money laundering and business email and e-commerce fraud.The organization, based in France, explained its investigators found trails of criminal activity across 34 nations.Advertisement – story continues below The investigation, called HAECHI IV, ran from July 2023 through December, and focused on online fraud.Authorities then froze various associated bank and virtual asset accounts through its “Global Rapid Intervention of Payments” scheme, a “stop-payment mechanism which helps countries work together to block criminal proceeds.” [Get the hottest, most important news stories on the Internet – delivered FREE to your inbox as soon as they break! Take just 30 seconds and sign up for WND’s Email News Alerts!](https://www.wnd.com/newsletter-subscription/) TRENDING: [Mary made the best choice – as should we](https://www.wnd.com/2023/12/mary-made-best-choice/) One part saw the arrest in the Philippines of “a high-profile online gambling criminal” who had been targeted in a two-year manhunt by Korea’s national police agency.Authorities blocked a total of 82,112 suspicious bank accounts and seized $199 million in currency and another $101 million in “virtual assets,” the organization reported.Advertisement – story continues below “The seizure of $300 million represents a staggering sum and clearly illustrates the incentive behind today’s explosive growth of transnational organized crime.This represents the savings and hard-earned cash of victims.
This vast accumulation of unlawful wealth is a serious threat to global security and weakens the economic stability of nations worldwide.” explained INTERPOL spokesman Stephen Kavanagh.
“HAECHI IV’s 200% surge in arrests shows the persistent challenge of cyber-enabled crime, reminding us to stay alert and keep refining our tactics against online fraud, which is why INTERPOL operations like this are so important.” The report said investment fraud, business email compromise and e-commerce fraud accounted for 75% of cases investigated in HAECHI IV.Also dismantled was a large illegal gambling network.Among the seized items were multiple NFTs, which are digital assets that can be in the form of photographs, videos, audio files, artwork, comic books, sports collectibles and more.Advertisement – story continues below The report noted police in various nations continue to investigate, freezing assets and more.
An INTERPOL official in Korea, Kim Dong Kwon, explained, “It is remarkable that global efforts to stay ahead of the latest criminal trends have resulted in a substantial growth in operational outcomes.”Despite criminals’ endeavors to gain illicit advantages through contemporary trends, they will eventually be apprehended and face due punishment.
To accomplish this, Project HAECHI will consistently evolve and expand its scope.” Advertisement – story continues below Several special alerts warning various police forces of the threat of fraud came out during the course of the investigation.One warned of a new scam detected in Korea involving the sale of Non-Fungible Tokens with promises of huge returns, which turned out to be a “rug pull,” a growing scam in the crypto industry where developers abruptly abandon a project and investors lose their money, the report said.
The second warned about the use of AI and deep fake technology to lend credibility to scams by enabling criminals to hide their identities and to pretend to be family member, friends or love interests.IMPORTANT NOTE TO WND READERS: America – long the freest, most prosperous, powerful, altruistic and Christian nation on earth – is on the brink of destruction.Every decent and aware American adult knows this.The evidence is everywhere.Advertisement – story continues below Democrat politicians today overwhelmingly favor late-term abortion up to the very moment of birth – formerly known as “infanticide.” They encourage children too young to drive or vote to have their breasts and/or sex organs amputated in pursuit of a “gender transition” that is both delusional and impossible, and which leads to staggering rates of depression and suicide.
They have not just allowed, but ENGINEERED, a full-scale foreign invasion of America across her southern border.Their standard bearer, President Joe Biden – a senile, pathologically dishonest and epically corrupt career political hack – is destroying America’s economy, energy sector, military, law enforcement, election integrity, national security, Constitution and overall national wellbeing as rapidly as possible.At the same time, Team Biden demonizes and, increasingly, IMPRISONS critics as “violent extremists,” “domestic terrorists,” “white supremacists” and “insurrectionists.” Indeed, they’re currently engaged in an obviously corrupt multi-front legal war against Biden’s chief political rival, Donald J.
Trump, in an attempt to send the 45th president of the United States to prison for the rest of his life.None of this constitutes “politics” in any conventional or traditional American sense.Rather, it is all darkly spiritual.The greatest nation on earth is in the throes of a full-blown spiritual war between good and evil.
[The big question, then, is WHAT CAN BE DONE TO SAVE AMERICA? Fortunately, real answers and uncommon wisdom are showcased in the December issue of WND’s critically acclaimed monthly Whistleblower magazine, ](https://superstore.wnd.com/whistleblower/) [“CAN AMERICA BE SAVED? The world’s freest, most Christian nation is on the brink of destruction.”](https://superstore.wnd.com/whistleblower/) Advertisement – story continues below In this very special issue, readers will experience the best and deepest thoughts and strategies on how to restore America to her former goodness and greatness, from some of the nation’s most respected analysts – everyone from Tucker Carlson to Dennis Prager to Victor Davis Hanson to Newt Gingrich and many more.WHISTLEBLOWER is available in [both the popular print edition and a state-of-the-art digital version, either single issues or discounted annual subscriptions.](https://superstore.wnd.com/whistleblower/) For 25 years, WND has boldly brought you the news that really matters.If you appreciate our Christian journalists and their uniquely truthful reporting and analysis, [please help us by becoming a WND Insider!](https://www.wnd.com/join/?adm_source=header-m) Content created by the WND News Center is available for re-publication without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience.For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [[email protected]](/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#315d5852545f42585f5671465f555f54464252545f4554431f5e4356).
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