Interpol’s “First Light 2026” operation led to 5,811 arrests, $293 million seized, and 31,014 bank accounts frozen

Interpol has published the main results of its anti-fraud operation, run from 15 January 2026 to 30 April 2026, and the numbers matter for any PSP touching fraud-heavy or high-risk flows. The operation targeted social engineering scams and the money laundering that tends to follow them, with I-GRIP (Interpol’s Global Rapid Intervention of Payments mechanism) used to block suspicious fiat and virtual-asset transactions quickly.

1. Across 97 countries, authorities identified more than 142,000 victims, reviewed 152,808 cases, uncovered 23,715 cases, and identified 15,606 suspects. Interpol also issued 99 notices and circulations during the operation.
2. Financial disruption was a major part of the work: 31,014 bank accounts were blocked and $293 million was seized. For payment firms, that is the reminder that fraud cases are increasingly treated as a payments problem, not just a law-enforcement one.
3. Interpol said I-GRIP was actively used to stop transactions linked to illegal fiat and virtual assets. In practice, that means a fast path for freezing or intercepting funds when a case moves from suspicion to actionable payment intelligence.
4. The operation produced a few concrete examples. In Eswatini, 82 people were arrested over illegal iGaming, money laundering, and sophisticated fraud using forged documents. In Thailand, two money launderers were arrested; one of the accounts involved processed $122.5 million over 10 months.
5. Interpol also cited a transaction block in Singapore and Oman worth $6.6 million, tied to an email fraud scheme. The operation “First Light” was funded by the Ministry of Public Security of China and supported by ASEANAPOL, GCCPOL, and Europol.

For high-risk PSPs, the practical takeaway is straightforward: social engineering fraud now sits close to iGaming, money laundering, and cross-border payment abuse, and law-enforcement response can move straight into account freezes and transaction blocking.