Interpol said a crypto wallet linked to a 20-year-old moved $123 million in funds connected to romance scams, with two arrests made in Thailand as part of the case.
The development matters because it places crypto rails inside a much broader international fraud crackdown, underscoring how digital assets can be used to move large sums tied to online scam networks.
The arrests were part of Operation First Light, a coordinated enforcement effort spanning 97 countries. According to Interpol, the sweep resulted in 5,811 arrests and the interception of $293 million.
Romance scams typically involve fraudsters building trust with victims before persuading them to send money. In this case, Interpol’s figures point to the scale at which such schemes can operate when crypto wallets are used to route proceeds.
The case adds to ongoing scrutiny of crypto’s role in financial crime, while also showing that law enforcement agencies are coordinating across borders to trace and disrupt scam-related funds.