Marrakech – Morocco was among 30 countries that took part in a UAE-led international operation against digital fraud networks, an effort that identified more than MAD 390 billion ($39 billion) in funds and cryptocurrencies linked to scams.
The operation, named Confrontation Ghost, ran from July 1 to September 30 under the leadership of the UAE Ministry of Interior. It brought together law enforcement from 30 countries, INTERPOL, the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, and 13 private-sector partners from the technology and financial sectors.
Morocco appeared on the list of participating states alongside the Philippines, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, China, France, the Netherlands, and South Korea, among others.
The operation targeted three fast-growing digital threats: AI-enabled fraud, financial fraud carried out through digital platforms, and technology-facilitated sextortion, a crime that often reaches children and teenagers.
Over three months, participants thwarted more than 123.71 million online fraud attempts worldwide. They identified over 15,500 victims and more than 3,500 suspects, which led to over 960 arrests and raids on 29 fraud centers.
Investigators shut down more than 570 social media accounts used to move money and manipulate victims. They also flagged 4,126 bank accounts linked to fraud and moved to block them. Across agencies, participants exchanged more than 9,000 pieces of intelligence and mapped the methods criminal networks use to recruit victims and launder money across borders.
The operation further helped secure more than four billion financial transactions each month through tokenization technology, which strengthens data protection and lowers fraud risk.
Participating countries, judicial authorities, and private-sector firms are now working to recover the identified assets, valued at more than $39 billion.
Results were announced at a UAE-organized side event titled “From Cooperation to Action,” held during the 13th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, in Vienna from October 19 to 23.
The event centered on turning operational experience into lasting cooperation, stronger public-private partnerships, and better readiness against fraud methods powered by AI.
Colonel Dana Humaid Al Marzouqi, Director General of the International Affairs Bureau at the UAE Ministry of Interior, described an initiative that, in her words, “transformed international shared intelligence into coordinated operational impact.”
She characterized the drive as a first-of-its-kind effort “strengthening collective resilience for all participating nations.” Real-time intelligence sharing and closer coordination among agencies, she added, sped up detection of suspicious activity and traced illicit financial flows.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime commended the operation. Its Executive Director, Monica Kathina Juma, told the Vienna gathering, “I commend the United Arab Emirates for using their convening power and making this operation possible.”
She credited the vision of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, “whose vision and commitment have been instrumental in advancing this effort.” Juma tied the operation’s urgency to the growing use of AI and cryptocurrencies to move and conceal illicit funds.
The 13 private-sector partners included Bayut, Crypto.com, dubizzle, Feedzai, Ghostly Solutions, Group-IB, Huawei, Mastercard, Meiya Pico, Meta, Outseer, TikTok, and Trend Micro.
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