HAECHI VI is Interpol ’s latest and most impressive operation in the fight against cybercrime, shedding light on the scope and severity of the financial threats taking shape online . Over a five-month period, from April to August 2025, more than $400 million in cash and cryptocurrencies were seized , while thousands of victims around the world found at least temporary justice.
International cooperation in 40 countries
The operation, carried out in collaboration with 40 countries across five continents, revealed the interconnected nature of modern fraud. From phishing phone calls and e-commerce scams to corporate email breaches and online sexual exploitation, perpetrators are exploiting security gaps and user trust, turning technology into a tool for mass manipulation and theft.
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Seizures and blockages
In total, 400 cryptocurrency wallets were seized, while more than 68,000 bank connections were blocked. These numbers reflect the scale of the crime and the challenge facing authorities: criminals move quickly, taking advantage of the anonymity of digital tools and the complexity of the global financial system.
Cases that stood out
In Portugal, 45 suspects for hacking social security accounts, diverting state funding intended for vulnerable families. In Thailand, authorities identified and seized $6.6 million that had been transferred from a Japanese company to the accounts of a criminal group. These cases highlight the ability of perpetrators to operate at multiple levels: from local social benefits to large multinational transactions.
The role of cooperation
Theos Badege, head of Interpol’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, called HAECHI “an iconic example” of the power of international cooperation. His message was clear: no country can tackle the phenomenon alone and collective action is the only realistic response.
A continuation of business
HAECHI VI follows a long line of operations that have steadily escalated. In 2024, HAECHI V led to the seizure of $400 million and over 5,500 arrests. A year earlier, HAECHI IV had identified more than 3,500 suspects and seized $300 million in assets. The steady rise in numbers demonstrates both the effectiveness of the operations and the continued growth of digital crime.
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Parallel actions
In addition to this specific program, Interpol has stepped up a range of actions in 2025: from operations that neutralized data-stealing, to the dismantling of child sexual abuse networks and cross-border gangs specializing in ransomware. This breadth reveals that the battle is not limited to financial fraud; it is a comprehensive field of digital warfare that affects governments, companies and citizens.
Challenges and weaknesses
Cybersecurity analysts say criminals are exploiting three main weaknesses: human trust , lack of cybersecurity education , and lagging international cooperation. HAECHI VI shows that when governments, banks, and technology providers work together early, they can limit losses and prevent future attacks.
Prevention or suppression?
The question that remains is whether such operations can have a lasting effect or whether they are more of a “surgical” intervention that simply delays the inevitable. As long as the financial gain from fraud remains huge and the risks of capture limited, cybercrime will continue to evolve.
The answer, according to experts, lies not only in repression but also in prevention: better information for citizens, stronger filters in banking transactions, faster exchange of information between services and more resilient technological infrastructures.
See also: BRICKSTORM: Chinese hackers had access to American companies for a year
HAECHI VI, with its global scale and impressive results, demonstrates that the battle can be fought successfully. Whether it can be won in the long term, however, will depend on whether the international community invests as decisively in prevention as in suppression.
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Source: www.bleepingcomputer.com
