In May 2025, the Federal Police of Brazil (‘FPB’) launched two simultaneous operations against criminal organisations involved in financial crimes, cyber fraud, drug trafficking and money laundering. During the operations, the FPB issued a total of 26 search and seizure warrants, and 11 arrest warrants; and seized assets and valuables believed to be linked to the criminal groups. The Singapore Police Force (‘SPF’) played a pivotal role in one of the two operations (codenamed Operation Cryptoscam) by working together through the international cooperation channels such as the INTERPOL.
In January 2024, the SPF received a police report stating that a victim had suffered losses amounting to approximately USD1.4 million due to his cryptocurrency wallet being compromised. Following the police report, officers from the Cybercrime Command (CCC) under the SPF Criminal Investigation Department (CID) conducted extensive follow-up investigations and established that the stolen funds were traced to Brazil.
The FPB were alerted through international cooperation channels and commenced investigations into the matter. The investigations were jointly conducted by the Repression Electronic Bank Fraud Coordination and the Federal Police of Brazil Regional Office in Itajaí, Santa Catarina.
The SPF is committed to working with international partners to safeguard Singapore from cybercriminals. The Commander of SPF’s Cybercrime Command, Assistant Commissioner of Police (AC) Paul Tay, said, “The way to effectively combat transnational cyber threats is through robust international partnerships and enforcement action. Operation Cryptoscam has shown that we can bring cybercriminals to justice no matter where they are, as long as law enforcement agencies work together across jurisdictions to disrupt criminal networks and protect our communities.”
Highlighting the importance of transnational police cooperation, INTERPOL’s Cybercrime Director Neal Jetton said, “Cybercrime knows no borders — and neither should our response. This case is a powerful testimony of what can be achieved when law enforcement agencies around the world stand together. The Singapore Police Force, the Federal Police of Brazil, and INTERPOL acted quickly and took coordinated action to stop cybercriminals hiding behind screens across continents. Behind every cyberattack is a victim — a person — and our work brings justice closer to them.”
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
17 June 2025 @ 11:10 AM