UAE-led operation traces $39 billion in fraud-linked funds, arrests over 960

The UAE-led Operation Confrontation Ghost identified more than $39 billion in fraud-linked funds and digital assets between July 1 and September 30, 2026. Led by the Ministry of Interior across 30 countries, it stopped over 123.71 million online scam attempts, Gulf News reported.

What is Operation Confrontation Ghost?

Operation Confrontation Ghost is an international anti-fraud campaign led by the UAE Ministry of Interior. It united law enforcement from 30 countries, INTERPOL, the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA) and 13 private-sector partners. It targeted AI-enabled fraud, digital financial fraud and online sextortion.

How many arrests did the UAE-led operation make?

The operation led to more than 960 arrests. Authorities also identified over 3,500 suspects and 15,500 victims, and exchanged more than 9,000 pieces of intelligence.

Officials blocked 4,126 bank accounts and closed more than 570 social media accounts tied to fraud. They also raided 29 fraud centers.

Participating countries, judicial authorities and companies are now working to recover the identified assets. The operation also helped secure more than four billion financial transactions each month through tokenization technology. This strengthens user data protection and lowers fraud risks.

What crimes did the operation target?

The operation ran from July 1 to September 30, 2026. It targeted AI-enabled fraud, financial fraud through digital platforms and online sextortion.

Its focus was on stronger international cooperation, intelligence sharing, tracking criminal activity and faster responses to digital threats.

Which countries and companies took part?

The 30 participating countries were the UAE, the Philippines, Canada, Norway, Japan, the United Kingdom, Ecuador, Romania, Kuwait, Nepal, Uzbekistan, Denmark, Myanmar, Brazil, Jordan, Italy, the Maldives, Singapore, Sweden, China, Senegal, France, Bahrain, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Slovakia, Kenya, Morocco, the Netherlands and the Republic of Korea.

The private-sector partners were Bayut, Crypto.com, dubizzle, Feedzai, Ghostly Solutions, Group-IB, Huawei, Mastercard, Miya Pico, Meta, Outseer, TikTok and Trend Micro.

Where were the results announced?

Officials announced the results at a UAE-organized side event in Vienna, Austria. The event was held during the 13th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, from October 19 to 23, 2026.

What did officials say about the operation?

Colonel Dana Al Marzouqi, Director-General of the Ministry of Interior’s International Affairs Bureau, said the operation showed the value of unified international efforts. She said combining security and technological capabilities is key to fighting digital fraud networks that exploit online platforms, financial services and emerging technologies.

She added that the ministry will keep strengthening cooperation with countries, international bodies and technology and financial firms. Real-time intelligence sharing, she said, speeds up detection of suspicious activity and helps trace illicit financial flows.

Dr. Monica Kathina Juma, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), called the operation a model of international cooperation on emerging crime. She said it united 30 countries, 13 private-sector partners and two international organizations against AI-enabled fraud, digital financial crime and technology-facilitated sexual extortion.

Juma praised the vision of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his support for international cooperation. She also commended the UAE’s role in coordinating partnerships.

She stressed that criminals increasingly use digital technologies and AI in fraud. They also exploit digital platforms, bank accounts and cryptocurrencies to move money and hide its origins. This, she said, calls for better countermeasures and stronger international coordination.