An international police operation has revealed the large role cryptocurrency is playing in romance scams through the discovery of a massive wallet tied to one young suspect.
As part of Interpol’s Operation First Light 2026 enforcement effort spanning 97 countries including the United States, authorities identified a crypto wallet controlled by a 20-year-old suspect who was arrested in Thailand, says Interpol.
Over a 10-month period, the wallet processed over $122 million allegedly linked to romance scam proceeds, often moved via cross-chain swaps to obscure the financial trail.
The global sweep resulted in 5,811 arrests and the interception of $293 million. Over 142,000 victims were identified across the world.
Operation First Light, which operated between January and April, demonstrates coordinated international efforts to disrupt fraud networks exploiting digital assets.
Says Tomonobu Kaya, director of the INTERPOL Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre,
“Social engineering scams continue to pose a significant threat to our society. Criminal syndicates exploit human psychology to manipulate their targets, and no nation can stay safe unless all countries are equipped and committed to jointly fighting back. INTERPOL is dedicated to supporting member countries in building a comprehensive, coordinated strategy to tackle cyber-enabled financial crimes, organized criminal networks and the money laundering that fuels them.”
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