The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) has formally designated crypto-enabled fraud as a global criminal threat. This designation follows the adoption of a new resolution at its General Assembly, which aims to tackle the rapid expansion of transnational scam centres implicated in large-scale fraud, human trafficking, and severe abuse.
According to the organization, these criminal hubs often lure victims with promises of high-paying overseas jobs before coercing them into compounds where they are forced to carry out schemes ranging from voice phishing and romance scams to investment fraud and cryptocurrency fraud targeting individuals worldwide.
While not everyone working in these centres is trafficked, Interpol noted that those held against their will frequently face brutal conditions, including physical violence, torture, sexual exploitation, and rape.
Global Crisis
The resolution comes amidst growing use of advanced technologies by criminal networks to deceive victims and conceal their operations. As part of a coordinated plan for joint action, Interpol has outlined several measures to strengthen international law enforcement efforts. These include real-time intelligence sharing to identify perpetrators and pinpoint locations, multinational joint operations supported by Interpol, targeted action against criminal financing and illicit assets linked to scam networks, and standardized emergency protocols to rescue and repatriate victims alongside expanded support services.
Interpol Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza stated:
“To effectively counter these criminal networks, we must strengthen collaboration, improve information sharing, and move forward with coordinated, decisive action. INTERPOL is committed to supporting the resolution’s implementation and working with member countries to break these operations apart and protect the people who are most at risk.”
The resolution also calls for global awareness campaigns directed at vulnerable groups, particularly youth and job seekers. Interpol said the threat has grown sharply, while pointing to its June crime trend update that reveals victims from more than 60 countries have been trafficked into scam centres operating well beyond Southeast Asia. Criminal activities have been found to be increasingly overlapping with drug, firearms, and wildlife trafficking.
In 2024, Interpol led its largest-ever global operation against trafficking-driven fraud across 116 countries and territories, which resulted in more than 2,500 arrests, alongside additional regional operations in Africa and Europe. The organization first drew attention to the rise of scam centres in 2022 with a Purple Notice warning of social media recruitment tactics, followed by a 2023 Orange Notice which identified trafficking-fuelled fraud as a serious and imminent threat to public safety.
Interpol Targets Big Names in Crypto Crime
The resolution emerges as Interpol continues to pursue several high-profile individuals tied to alleged crypto-related crimes around the world. For instance, in 2022, the organization issued a Red Notice for Terraform Labs co-founder and CEO Do Kwon following the collapse of the Terra ecosystem. In July 2024, Hong Kong native and cryptocurrency promoter Wong Ching-kit was added to Interpol’s alert system for his suspected involvement in multiple criminal cases, including a cryptocurrency scam of more than $384,310.
And in December 2024, Richard Schueler, better known as Richard Heart, founder of the Hex cryptocurrency, was listed under a Red Notice at the request of Finnish authorities over allegations of tax fraud and assault.