Interpol takes down 45,000 malicious websites in global cybercrime crackdown
Interpol has taken down tens of thousands of IP addresses and servers hosting a range of cybercrime operations, including fake casinos and sextortion schemes.
Interpol employee. Photo by Rachel Sommer/picture alliance/Getty Images
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Interpol has taken down tens of thousands of IP addresses and servers hosting a range of cybercrime operations, including fake casinos and sextortion schemes.
Law enforcement agencies from 72 countries and territories have taken part in a large-scale international operation targeting phishing, malware, and ransomware. The operation led to the arrest of 94 people, with another 110 under investigation.
In total, 212 electronic devices were also seized during raids carried out by national authorities and coordinated by Interpol as part of Operation Synergia III, which started in July last year and concluded in January.
“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,” said Neal Jetton, head of the Cybercrime Directorate at Interpol.
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Interpol is the world’s largest police organization that works with 196 member states. It’s headquartered in Lyon, France.
As part of Operation Synergia III, law enforcement in Macau, a semi-autonomous Chinese territory, identified more than 33,000 phishing and fraudulent websites, including fake casinos and addresses posing as official government and payment service sites.
Most of these scams were used to defraud victims by making them top up their accounts via fraudulent sites or by stealing their personal information and credit card details, according to Interpol.
In the West African country of Togo, police arrested 10 suspects operating a fraud ring, with some specializing in technical crimes such as hacking social media accounts, while others carried out social engineering schemes, including romance scams and sextortion.
After gaining access to an account, the criminals contacted the victim’s online contacts, impersonating the account holder to build fake romantic relationships or deceive friends and family, and to persuade them to make money transfers.
Meanwhile, in Bangladesh, police arrested 40 suspects and seized 134 electronic devices related to a number of cybercrime schemes, including loan and job scams, identity theft, and credit card fraud.
Several investigations are still ongoing, according to Interpol.
In June last year, Interpol took down 20,000 malicious IP addresses and domains linked to infostealer malware.
And in August, it dismantled 11,500 cybercriminal networks across Africa in a massive operation that saw 1,200 suspects arrested for scamming almost half a billion dollars from thousands of victims.
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