Key Takeaways:
The NCA’s Operation Atlantic froze over $12 million in criminal crypto proceeds and identified 20,000 victims across 3 countries. More than $45 million in total cryptocurrency fraud was mapped globally, signaling how widespread approval phishing has become. The NCA and partners will continue analyzing Operation Atlantic intelligence to pursue suspects and support additional victims. Operation Atlantic: NCA Targets Approval Phishing Scams, Freezes Over $12 MillionOne U.K. victim identified during the operation is believed to have lost more than 52,000 pounds to the scheme.
NCA: ‘We Know Fraudsters Operate Globally’The NCA hosted participating agencies at its London headquarters. Real-time intelligence sharing allowed investigators and private sector partners to trace illicit transactions and flag victims while funds were still recoverable.
NCA Deputy Director of Investigations Miles Bonfield said the operation showed what is possible when international agencies and private industry work side by side. He said the action helped safeguard thousands of victims in the U.K. and abroad and stopped criminals before additional funds could be moved.
“We know that fraudsters operate globally and, together with our international partners, so will the NCA to target them wherever they are based,” Bonfield said.
The public-private collaboration is expected to become a central element of the U.K. government’s Fraud Strategy, announced last month. That strategy is designed to connect data, knowledge and expertise across industry and law enforcement to allow earlier intervention in active fraud cases.
The NCA and its partners stressed that they will continue analyzing intelligence gathered during Operation Atlantic to support identified victims and build criminal cases.
