Global Task Force launched to hunt down overseas scammers

Jointly developed by the UK and Interpol, the new unit will target the scam compounds driving a growing share of global fraud, with an initial focus being placed on dismantling criminal operations across South East Asia.

The news comes as the UK led the convening of 40 ministers, over 100 countries and 300 industry leaders at the Global Fraud Summit held in Vienna to drive action against fraud in response to new figures showing that over two-thirds of scams targeting the British public originate from abroad.

Working across borders, investigators will pool intelligence to trace where fraudsters are operating from and the bank accounts, crypto wallets, phone numbers and social media profiles they use. Under Interpol co-ordination, law enforcement agencies will move quickly to disrupt operations at source, freezing bank accounts, shutting down communication channels and carrying out co-ordinated raids to bring scam networks to justice.

The Global Fraud Summit brings together Governments, law enforcement, banks and tech giants to strengthen global co-operation to tackle fraud as criminals increasingly exploit online platforms to target victims worldwide. Hosted by Interpol and the United Nations’ Office on Drugs and Crime and sponsored by the UK, the 2026 Global Fraud Summit was the largest gathering of its kind to date.

A first-of-its-kind global partnership between Governments and major tech firms was also signed to drive the global response to fraud online. Signatories have pledged to share more intelligence to better identify and act on emerging threats and co-ordinate to disrupt scammers operations before they reach victims. Those signed up include G7 countries, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Meta, Google, Amazon, Match Group, Virgin Media O2 and the International Banking Federation.

Global crime

Lord Hanson, Minister for Fraud, said: “Fraud is now a global crime run by organised networks operating across borders and targeting victims at industrial scale. With around two-thirds of fraud affecting the UK originating from overseas, we cannot tackle this threat alone.”

Lord Hanson continued: “The UK has driven global leadership at the Global Fraud Summit in Vienna to crack down on scammers. Through a new Task Force that will disrupt and dismantle fraud networks worldwide, and a first-of-its-kind global public and private sector partnership, we are protecting the British public from our country’s most common crime.”

The new Task Force builds on recent international action taken by the UK and partners to disrupt fraud networks operating overseas. Agreements with Nigeria and Vietnam to share intelligence and boost their law enforcement capability to go after fraudsters has already resulted in arrests and the takedown of scam compounds in the past year.

Earlier this year, a joint operation involving the National Crime Agency, Meta and Nigerian authorities led to a scam centre being taken down in Delta State, with multiple fraudsters arrested. In a separate operation, international law enforcement partners worked together to dismantle a fraud Call Centre in India, which was responsible for costing UK victims nearly £400,000 before it was shut down.

Important step forward

Nick Sharp, deputy director of the National Economic Crime Centre at the National Crime Agency, said: “The Global Fraud Task Force is an exciting and important step forward in our fight to tackle transnational fraud networks on a global scale. It will provide a platform for multilateral co-operation with law enforcement around the world in order to better target suspects and build on our strong public and private sector relationships with a view towards disrupting money flows and stopping fraudsters in their tracks.”

Sharp added: “As these criminals continue to grow in sophistication and work across borders, it’s important law enforcement and industry work together to fight this threat and protect the public.”

John Brandolino, acting executive director at UNODC, explained: “Today, we are facing a very different kind of fraud. One that’s sophisticated, organised and perpetrated across borders with breathtaking speed.”

Brandolino went on to state: “We are seeing a global criminal ecosystem that requires different skill sets and expertise to address. Tech companies, banks, private sector stakeholders and Governments all have a key role to play.”

In conclusion, Brandolino said: “The Global Fraud Summit provides a unique setting in which to bring different perspectives and this range of expertise together such that we can begin shaping a more co-ordinated global response.”

The Global Fraud Summit builds on the launch of the Fraud Strategy 2026-2029, which established a new Online Crime Centre, uniting Government, the police, intelligence agencies, banks and tech firms to ramp up the disruption of fraudsters. Backed by £250 million in funding, the new Fraud Strategy sets out how the Government plans to make the UK the hardest place for fraudsters to operate going forward.