Interpol sinkholes 45,000 IPs linked to global cybercrime

"Cybercrime in 2026 is more sophisticated and destructive than ever before, but Operation Synergia III stands as a powerful testament to what global cooperation can achieve. Interpol remains at the forefront of this fight, uniting law enforcement agencies and private sector experts to dismantle criminal networks, disrupt emerging threats, and protect victims around the world."

"A large portion of the arrests and seizures were in Bangladesh. A total of 40 suspects were arrested locally, and 134 of their devices were seized for further examination after authorities tied them to a large range of cybercrime schemes including loan and employment scams, identity theft, and credit card fraud."

"Police in Togo contributed to an additional ten arrests, all of whom were suspected of assuming lead roles in a fraud ring operating within a residential area. Interpol said each had different areas of specialism. Some were more technical and carried out crimes such as compromising social media accounts, while others were more adept at the social engineering side of things."

Operation Synergia III, a global cybercrime crackdown running from July 2025 to January 2026, resulted in 94 arrests with 110 individuals remaining under investigation. The operation targeted phishing, romance scams, and credit card fraud across multiple jurisdictions. Bangladesh accounted for 40 arrests with 134 devices seized connected to loan scams, employment fraud, identity theft, and credit card fraud. Togo contributed 10 arrests of suspected fraud ring leaders with specialized roles in social engineering and technical crimes. Macau police identified over 33,000 phishing and fraud websites. Law enforcement seized 212 devices total and sinkholed more than 45,000 malicious IP addresses associated with suspects.

Read at Theregister