A UAE-led cross-border operation identified more than $39 billion in fraud-linked funds and digital assets, with recovery efforts ongoing, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported, citing the UAE Ministry of Interior (MoI).
The campaign ran from July 1 through Sept. 30, 2026, and targeted AI-enabled fraud, financial fraud conducted through digital platforms and online sextortion. It reported thwarting more than 123.71 million online fraud attempts worldwide, according to WAM.
Authorities blocked 4,126 bank accounts and closed more than 570 social media accounts linked to fraud. They also raided 29 fraud centers. Officials identified 15,500 victims and more than 3,500 suspects, while law enforcement agencies exchanged more than 9,000 pieces of intelligence.
More than 960 defendants were arrested, WAM reported. The ministry said the cooperation aimed to protect individuals and institutions from fraud networks that operate across borders and use online platforms, financial services and emerging technologies.
Law enforcement authorities from 30 countries took part, alongside INTERPOL, the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA) and 13 private-sector partners. The announcement did not break down the identified funds or digital assets by country or type of fraud.
Dr. Monica Kathina Juma, executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), said online platforms and financial accounts can help fraudsters transfer proceeds while hiding their origins. She called for stronger defenses and closer coordination among countries, WAM reported.
The results were announced at a UAE-hosted side event in Vienna during the 13th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. The session ran from Oct. 19 to Oct. 23.
WAM said participating countries, judicial authorities and private-sector companies were working to recover the identified assets. The announcement gave no amount recovered or timetable for the work. It also said the operation helped secure more than four billion financial transactions each month through tokenization technology, without specifying which transactions were counted or the period measured.
