UAE-led fraud operation identifies $39 billion in assets, 960 arrested across 30 countries
In short
The UAE-led Operation Confrontation Ghost has identified more than US$39 billion in funds and digital assets linked to fraud and thwarted over 123.71 million online fraud attempts, according to WAM. Led by the Ministry of Interior, it involved law enforcement from 30 countries, INTERPOL, GASA and 13 private-sector partners, and resulted in more than 960 arrests.
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The UAE-led Operation Confrontation Ghost has identified more than US$39 billion in funds and digital assets linked to fraudulent activities and thwarted over 123.71 million online fraud attempts worldwide, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported on 21 October 2026. It described the operation as part of an international effort to combat organised digital fraud. Emirates 24|7 and Gulf News carried the same figures, while Aletihad, which credited WAM, gave the attempts figure as over 123 million. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
The operation was led by the Ministry of Interior. It brought together law enforcement authorities from 30 countries, the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL), the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA), and 13 private-sector partners specialising in technology, digital platforms and financial services. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
According to WAM, the operation resulted in the arrest of more than 960 defendants, the identification of over 3,500 suspects and 15,500 victims, and the exchange of more than 9,000 pieces of intelligence. It also led to the blocking of 4,126 bank accounts, the closure of more than 570 social media accounts linked to fraudulent activities, and raids on 29 fraud centres. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
Participating countries, judicial authorities and private-sector companies are working to recover the identified assets, valued at more than US$39 billion. The operation also helped secure more than four billion financial transactions each month through tokenisation technology, strengthening user data protection and reducing financial fraud risks, WAM said. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
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 13 private-sector partners were Bayut, Crypto.com, dubizzle, Feedzai, Ghostly Solutions, Group-IB, Huawei, Mastercard, Miya Pico, Meta, Outseer, TikTok and Trend Micro. [ 2 , 3 ]
The outlets differ in some details. The Emirates 24|7 headline refers to $39 billion in assets seized, while its article text, like the WAM report, says the funds and assets were identified and that recovery efforts are under way. Emirates 24|7 also said the United Nations commended the UAE leadership's support, in a caption beside a video credited to SaifBZayed/X. Arabian Business, whose document contains only a summary, reported the operation as a 30-country effort that arrested more than 960 people. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The figures, released by the official news agency and repeated by business outlets, describe a multi-country effort against organised digital fraud that includes police, INTERPOL and technology and financial firms. The documents say recovery of the identified assets is still being worked on.
Key facts
- Operation Confrontation Ghost identified more than US$39 billion in funds and digital assets linked to fraudulent activities. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- The operation thwarted over 123.71 million online fraud attempts worldwide. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 ]
- It was led by the Ministry of Interior and brought together law enforcement from 30 countries, INTERPOL, GASA and 13 private-sector partners. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- More than 960 defendants were arrested, and over 3,500 suspects and 15,500 victims were identified. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- 4,126 bank accounts were blocked, more than 570 social media accounts were closed, and 29 fraud centres were raided. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- More than 9,000 pieces of intelligence were exchanged. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The UAE-led Operation Confrontation Ghost identified more than US$39 billion in funds and digital assets linked to fraud and thwarted over 123.71 million online fraud attempts, as part of an international effort against organised digital fraud. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- More than 960 defendants were arrested, 4,126 bank accounts blocked, more than 570 social media accounts closed and 29 fraud centres raided. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- The operation involved law enforcement from 30 countries, INTERPOL, GASA and 13 private-sector partners. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the US$39 billion was seized or only identified. The Emirates 24|7 headline says assets were seized, but its text and the other documents say the funds were identified and that countries, judicial authorities and companies are working to recover them.
- How much of the identified assets has been recovered so far. The documents give no figure for recovered amounts.
- The United Nations commended the UAE leadership's support. Only the Emirates 24|7 document states this, in a caption beside a video credited to SaifBZayed/X.