UAE Leads 30-Nation Crackdown on AI Fraud Involving China and Leading Tech Companies

The UAE Ministry of Interior led 'Operation Confrontation Ghost', a global initiative uniting 30 countries—including China—and 13 private sector firms such as Huawei and Mastercard to combat cross-border digital fraud. The three-month operation identified over USD 39 billion in scam-linked assets and cryptocurrencies. Law enforcement agencies carried out more than 960 arrests and shut down 29 fraud centres worldwide.

Published October 22, 2026 Source: PR Newswire

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中文 Chinese version
العربية Automatic translation

Issuing authority: Ministry of Interior of the United Arab Emirates
Jurisdiction: United Arab Emirates
Publication date: October 22, 2026
Stage: Final rule
Official source: news.google.com

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The United Arab Emirates Ministry of Interior announced the results of 'Operation Confrontation Ghost', a global law enforcement initiative targeting transnational digital fraud networks. Running from 1 July to 30 September 2026, the operation brought together law enforcement bodies across five continents alongside INTERPOL, the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, and 13 technology and financial sector companies.

Participating jurisdictions included 30 nations, among them the United Arab Emirates, China, Canada, France, Japan, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Bahrain, and Kuwait. Technology and financial partners taking part in the operation included Huawei, Mastercard, Meta, and TikTok.

According to the UAE Ministry of Interior, the coordinated operation identified more than USD 39 billion in funds and cryptocurrencies linked to digital scams, with participating jurisdictions currently pursuing asset recovery. The effort targeted three fast-growing threat categories: artificial intelligence-enabled fraud, digital financial fraud, and online sextortion.

Over the three-month campaign, authorities identified more than 15,500 victims and over 3,500 suspects. The operation resulted in more than 960 arrests, raids on 29 fraud centres, the closure of over 570 illicit social media accounts, and the identification of 4,126 bank accounts connected to fraud networks.

Law enforcement bodies exchanged more than 9,000 pieces of operational intelligence during the operation. Colonel Dana Humaid Al Marzouqi, Director General of the International Affairs Bureau at the UAE Ministry of Interior, stated that the initiative converted cross-border intelligence into coordinated action against illicit financial flows.