City of London Police Arrest 31 Romance Scammers in Europe and Africa
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · May 19
City of London Police Arrest 31 Romance Scammers in Europe and Africa
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 19
Operation Seraphim has led to 31 arrests across Europe and Africa after investigators mapped organised fraud networks operating between the UK and Nigeria.
One Midlands raid detained a suspect accused of selling banking data online and enabling fraud through money laundering; police seized two Rolex watches and £3,000 in cash.
The City of London Police worked with the Cyber Defence Alliance, the National Crime Agency and Nigerian police, using bank-data patterns and online monitoring to build cases against scam networks rather than isolated offenders.
Around 500 arrests have followed the broader strategy so far, as authorities target romance fraudsters who groom victims for months—one North Yorkshire woman lost more than £80,000.
Will the UK’s new anti-fraud strategy dismantle global crime networks or just force them to become more sophisticated?
With scammers mastering digital intimacy, can AI defenses spot a con before a victim's heart is broken?
As AI powers both scammers and banks, who is winning the technological arms race against financial fraud?
Global Online Fraud in 2026: $500 Million in Losses, 128 Arrests, and the Escalating Threat of AI-Driven Scams
Overview
Operation Seraphim was launched in May 2026 as a major international effort to combat the growing threat of sophisticated online investment fraud and money laundering. As criminal groups became more organized and exploited digital platforms for scams like 'pig butchering,' global financial losses soared past $500 million in two years. Led by INTERPOL and supported by Europol and national agencies, the operation coordinated raids and arrests across 15 countries. By dismantling these criminal networks and bringing perpetrators to justice, Operation Seraphim marked a significant step in disrupting pervasive transnational fraud and protecting victims worldwide.