Ghost

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A UAE-led international operation involving Interpol and law enforcement agencies from 30 countries identified more than $39 billion in fraud-linked funds and digital assets while thwarting well over 123 million online fraud attempts between July and September 2026.
The results point to the scale of cross-border digital crime, with authorities now working to recover the identified assets and disrupt networks using online platforms, financial services and cryptocurrencies.
<h2 id="operation-confrontation-ghost-ran-for-three-months-across-30-countries">Operation Confrontation Ghost Ran for Three Months Across 30 Countries</h2>
Led by the UAE’s Ministry of Interior, Operation Confrontation Ghost ran from July 1 to September 30 and went after AI-enabled fraud, financial scams run through digital platforms and online sextortion. WAM, the Emirates News Agency, <a href="https://www.wam.ae/en/article/17hjcqa-uae-led-operation-confrontation-ghost-identifies" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">stated</a> that the operation stopped at least 123.71 million online fraud attempts worldwide.
Authorities arrested more than 960 suspects and raided 29 fraud centers. Investigators identified over 3,500 suspects and 15,500 victims, while 4,126 bank accounts were blocked and more than 570 social media accounts closed. Participants also exchanged over 9,000 pieces of intelligence.
Interpol and the Global Anti-Scam Alliance took part alongside 13 private companies, including Crypto.com, Meta, Mastercard and TikTok, WAM added. The operation also reported that tokenization technology helped secure more than four billion transactions each month, reducing fraud risks and strengthening data protection.
Results were presented at a UAE-organized side event during the 13th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime in Vienna.
Colonel Dana Al Marzouqi, director-general of the Interior Ministry’s International Affairs Bureau, explained that real-time intelligence sharing helps agencies spot suspicious activity faster and trace illicit money flows.
Dr. Monica Juma, executive director at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, called the operation a model of international cooperation. She stressed that criminals’ use of AI, bank accounts and cryptocurrencies to move money and hide its origins demands better countermeasures and closer coordination.
<h2 id="us-authorities-have-been-chasing-similar-networks">US Authorities Have Been Chasing Similar Networks</h2>
As CryptoPotato reported previously, the US Justice Department’s Scam Center Strike Force <a href="https://cryptopotato.com/doj-strike-force-seizes-scam-marketplace-restrains-52m-in-crypto/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">seized</a> Telegram-based scam marketplace Xinbi Guarantee in September and restrained about $52 million in crypto in a single day.
That lifted the total the Strike Force has restrained since its founding in November 2025 to roughly $938 million. Federal data reported crypto investment fraud losses at $8.65 billion in 2025, up 89% from 2023, although the FBI calls those figures “significantly underrepresented” because most fraud victims do not report.
The post <a href="https://cryptopotato.com/uae-led-operation-flags-39b-linked-to-crypto-and-online-scams/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">UAE-Led Operation Flags $39B Linked to Crypto and Online Scams</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cryptopotato.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">CryptoPotato</a>.

UAE-Led Operation Flags $39B Linked to Crypto and Online Scams

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