The international police network Interpol arrested nearly 1,000 people and intercepted 130 million dollars in a vast operation against crime on the Internet, this international organization announced Thursday.
In the operation, baptized Haechi III, numerous suspects linked to cybercrime cases, such as scams, identity theft, fraudulent investments or deception through email, said in a statement Interpol, whose headquarters are located in Lyon (France). ).
Between June 28 and November 23, 975 people were arrested and nearly 2,800 accounts and virtual assets linked to criminal practices were blocked.
These investigations also made it possible to identify new crime trends on the Internet, such as new practices to usurp identity or sentimental or sexual scams.
The researchers also detected a significant increase in fraud through messaging applications that ask for payments through cryptocurrencies.
Interpol suspects that in one of these cases two Koreans, detained in Greece and Italy, defrauded 28 million euros (29.14 million dollars) from some 2,000 people.
Austrian and Indian agents also identified a group of cybercriminals posing as Interpol agents and convincing scammed people to send them money via cryptocurrency, gift cards or bank transfers.