UAE-Led Operation Flags $39B Linked to Crypto and Online Scams
An international operation led by the UAE identified over $39 billion in fraud-linked funds and digital assets while thwarting more than 123 million online fraud attempts between July and September 2026.
Operation Confrontation Ghost, a three-month initiative led by the UAE’s Ministry of Interior, targeted AI-enabled fraud, financial scams, and online sextortion across 30 countries. The operation, which concluded on September 30, involved Interpol, the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, and 13 private companies, including Crypto.com, Meta, Mastercard, and TikTok.
Authorities arrested more than 960 suspects and raided 29 fraud centers, while identifying over 3,500 suspects and 15,500 victims. The operation blocked 4,126 bank accounts and closed more than 570 social media accounts. Participants also exchanged over 9,000 pieces of intelligence during the campaign.
The UAE-organized side event at the 13th session of the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime in Vienna presented the results. The operation reported that tokenization technology helped secure more than four billion transactions each month, reducing fraud risks and strengthening data protection.
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, emphasized the operation as a model of international cooperation. She noted that criminals’ use of AI, bank accounts, and cryptocurrencies to move money and hide origins demands better countermeasures and closer coordination.
The US Justice Department’s Scam Center Strike Force has been pursuing similar networks. In September, the Strike Force seized the Telegram-based scam marketplace Xinbi Guarantee and restrained about $52 million in crypto in a single day, lifting the total 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. The FBI calls those figures significantly underrepresented because most fraud victims do not report. Authorities are now working to recover the identified assets and disrupt networks using online platforms, financial services, and cryptocurrencies.
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