Operation Synergia III
The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) was involved in a cybercrime investigation that focused on malware, phishing, and various kinds of criminal activities. The operation involved 72 countries which led to the arrest of 94 people and 110 individuals are still under investigation. Around 212 devices were seized. The operation ran from July 2025 to January 2026. 45,000+ malicious IP addresses and servers were disabled which were used for hosting ransomware, phishing kits, malware payloads, and fraudulent websites.
The Procedure
With the help of proper collaboration, national authorities implemented necessary actions such as carrying out raids and breaking down criminal hotspots. Disrupted activities include ransomware attacks, credential phishing, romance scam, social engineering, etc.
When law enforcement shut these IP networks down, they aided to:
- Cut ransomware distribution: It blocked encrypted data from reaching the targeted devices.
- Disabled massive phishing schemes: Disabled sites that steal credentials for phishing and identity theft.
- Cut command and control (C2) communications: Isolated infected devices and botnet nodes, preventing the spread of malware and malicious viruses.
- Disrupted international syndicates: It took away the international reach of crime rings, reducing the crime rate and dismantling criminal hierarchies.
Major Events
- Phishing campaigns in Macau: More than 33,000 phishing websites were discovered, featuring casinos, banking websites, and government sites. The scammers lured victims to reveal their accounts or provide personal details, which were used for stealing financial assets and committing crimes.
- Sextortion scam ring in Togo: 10 people were arrested who ran the scam ring from an apartment. Some of the members hacked social media accounts and used the stolen identities to scam friends and family in fake online relationships.
- Fraud in Bangladesh: The police in Bangladesh busted a ring consisting of 40 suspects, seizing 134 devices used in loan, job, identity theft, and credit card scams. The suspects had scammed many local residents.
