Interpol Uncovers $122M Crypto Wallet in Global Romance Scam Crackdown

A global anti-fraud operation coordinated by Interpol has uncovered a cryptocurrency wallet that processed more than US$122.5 million in romance scam proceeds, highlighting the scale and sophistication of cross-border financial fraud.

The wallet was identified during Operation First Light 2026, a four-month enforcement campaign involving authorities from 97 countries and territories. Investigators traced the funds to a laundering network that used cross-chain cryptocurrency swaps to disguise the origin of illicit proceeds. Thai police arrested two suspects, including a 20-year-old alleged to have controlled the wallet.

Interpol said the wider operation resulted in 5,811 arrests, the seizure or freezing of US$293 million in illicit assets, and the identification of more than 142,000 victims worldwide.

The investigation centered on romance scams, where fraudsters establish fake online relationships before persuading victims to invest in fraudulent schemes or transfer money. Criminals increasingly rely on cryptocurrencies, stablecoins and cross-chain transactions to move stolen funds rapidly across jurisdictions and make tracing more difficult.

Beyond the Thai case, authorities disrupted a range of international fraud operations, including a business email compromise scheme that prevented losses of US$6.6 million, as well as other organized scam networks operating across multiple countries.

Interpol said the operation demonstrates how international cooperation remains essential in combating increasingly sophisticated financial crime. The agency warned that criminal syndicates continue to exploit both technology and human trust to carry out investment, romance and online fraud on a global scale, making coordinated cross-border enforcement critical to disrupting illicit financial networks.