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ASEANAPOL Joins Global Efforts to Combat Cyber Scams

15 December 2024

calendar_today 15 December 2024
At the invitation of INTERPOL’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre (IFCACC), Police Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Huu Ngoc represented Colonel David Martinez Vinluan, Executive Director of the ASEANAPOL Secretariat, at the Operation HAECHI V Debrief Meeting held at INTERPOL Headquarters in Lyon, France, from November 25 to 28, 2024.
Operation HAECHI V, conducted over five months (July to November 2024), targeted seven key types of cyber-enabled fraud: voice phishing, romance scams, online sextortion, investment fraud, illegal online gambling, business email compromise (BEC) fraud, and e-commerce fraud. This global initiative engaged law enforc ement agencies from 40 member countries, territories, and regions, alongside invited partners, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the ASEANAPOL Secretariat.
The operation achieved significant results, including the arrest of over 5,500 financial crime suspects and the seizure of more than USD 400 million in virtual assets and government-backed currencies. Notably, Operation HAECHI V outperformed previous efforts, nearly doubling the number of solved cases (8,309) and tripling the number of blocked virtual asset service provider (VASP) accounts (1,023) compared to 2023.
During the debrief meeting, Police Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Huu Ngoc delivered a comprehensive update on ASEANAPOL’s ongoing initiatives to combat scam call centers, especially those linked to trafficking in persons and forced criminality. He highlighted ASEANAPOL’s strategic priorities, which include facilitating the establishment of National Anti-Scam Centers modeled on operational frameworks of the Singapore Police Force, Royal Malaysia Police, and Royal Thai Police. ASEANAPOL aims to strengthen the capacity of its member countries’ police forces by providing specialized training for law enforcement personnel. Efforts are also underway to establish databases for the exchange of critical information, including money mule accounts, victim identification, and criminal intelligence.
Police Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Huu Ngoc emphasized ASEANAPOL’s steadfast commitment to forging strategic partnerships with key institutions, such as INTERPOL’s IFCACC, the Human Trafficking and Smuggling of Migrants Unit (HTSM), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), UNDP, and other relevant entities. These partnerships aim to address emerging threats within Southeast Asia’s identified crime hotspots.
The debrief meeting concluded with a collective pledge from participating member countries and organizations to sustain and expand global efforts in combating cyber-enabled financial crimes. This includes launching future initiatives such as Operation HAECHI VI, reflecting a unified approach to tackling the growing threat posed by cyber scams and financial crime worldwide.
"Together We Keep This Region Safe"




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