A three-month international crackdown led by the United Arab Emirates has identified more than $39 billion in digital assets linked to fraud, according to details released about Operation Confrontation Ghost. The effort brought together 30 countries and 13 private-sector partners and focused on cross-border online fraud networks.

The operation recorded more than 123 million online fraud attempts and resulted in over 960 arrests. Authorities also said they identified 3,500 suspects and 15,000 victims, while moving to block bank accounts, close social media profiles, and raid physical sites tied to alleged scam activity.

Scale of the operation

Operation Confrontation Ghost ran for three months and targeted online criminal schemes with an international footprint. Authorities said the campaign led to more than 960 arrests, with nearly 1,000 defendants taken into custody during the broader enforcement push.

Officials reported that investigators identified 3,500 suspects and 15,000 victims during the operation. They also said 29 fraud centers were raided as part of coordinated actions across participating jurisdictions.

Crypto and financial measures

A central finding of the operation was the identification of more than $39 billion in fraud-linked digital assets. Authorities also said they secured $12 billion in tokenized transfers, which they described as a step that reduced financial risks tied to the schemes under investigation.

Beyond tracing digital assets, the coalition said it blocked 4,000 bank accounts and shut down 570 social media accounts. Those measures indicate the campaign targeted both the financial channels and the online infrastructure used to support fraud operations.

International coordination

The operation involved 30 countries as well as 13 private-sector partners. Among the companies named in support of the effort were Huawei, Mastercard, and Meta, reflecting the role of technology, payments, and online platform operators in investigations that cross national borders.

Colonel Dana Al Marzouqi said international cooperation was essential to detecting and disrupting digital fraud networks that operate across multiple jurisdictions. The structure of the campaign suggests authorities were trying to combine law enforcement action with support from companies that can help identify suspicious activity or remove fraudulent accounts.

Broader policy backdrop

Dr. Monica Kathina Juma of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said continued countermeasures and stronger international coordination are needed as digital technologies and artificial intelligence make fraud easier to carry out at scale. Her comments framed the operation as part of a wider effort to adapt enforcement to increasingly sophisticated online scams.

The announcement also fits into the UAE’s broader push to strengthen oversight of crypto-related crime. Authorities said the country has been tightening its approach in this area, building on earlier actions against crypto crime networks. The next confirmed step, based on the information released so far, is continued cross-border coordination as investigators pursue the suspects, assets, and networks identified during the three-month operation.

Source: news.bitcoin.com