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More than £2.2m was lost through a wide range of scams targeting people on the Isle of Man in 2024, a report has found. Figures from the Cyber Security Centre (CSC) revealed victims lost £1.2m to investment scams, £391,674 to voice calls cons, and £45,000 through romance fraud. More than 9,300 suspicious emails and 497 cyber concerns were logged via the centre’s reporting service during the period, marking a 50% increase on 2023. Urging people to report concerns CSC director Mike Haywood said the data was likely to be “just the tip of the iceberg” as many scams still went unreported. Cases of purchase scams, phishing and bank fraud were reported in the latest annual report, including an incident where one company lost £66,100 after an employee was encouraged to log into a fake banking website. Account compromises, when unauthorized access or takeover of an online account by a third-party occurs, resulted in losses of £113,472, largely through phishing emails imitating Manx.net and Manx Telecom. Other examples of exploitation included fraudulent websites imitating services like Isle of Man Transport, and investment fraud in which celebrities, such as Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond, were impersonated by scammers.

Today marks the conclusion of a three-day meeting of more than 1,400 anti-money laundering investigators and prosecutors from across Canada’s public sector, as well as representatives from the United States. The annual gathering aims to build a greater common understanding of the latest financial crime threats and tactics. This year’s meeting builds on recent actions the Government of Canada has taken through its $1.3 billion Border Plan to ramp up efforts to combat organized crime, fentanyl trafficking and money laundering. This includes Canada’s newly appointed Fentanyl Czar; a Canada-United States Joint Strike Force; an intelligence directive on organized crime and fentanyl, backed up by $200 million to increase law enforcement’s information sharing capacity; the listing of seven transnational criminal organizations largely responsible for fentanyl pouring into our communities; and the launch of a new intelligence partnership made up of key players from Canada’s big banks and law enforcement. Discussions centered on current money laundering schemes used by organized crime, including crypto- and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled fraud and trade-based money laundering, as well as asset recovery and prevention. Participants also updated on key enforcement actions, legal proceedings and emerging trends in their respective jurisdictions. Supporting enhanced collaboration and permissible information-sharing across law enforcement agencies, prosecutorial services, financial institutions and high-risk businesses is integral to the government’s plan to bolster its response to money laundering and organized crime, strike back against the illegal fentanyl trade and bring perpetrators to justice. To conclude the meeting, government officials reiterated Canada’s intention to use its 2025 G7 Presidency to highlight the threats from illicit finance and propose the development of a call to action by the G7 Finance Ministers to address criminal activity that impacts the financial sector and national security.

Nearly 20,000 threatened and protected animals were rescued in a global policing operation coordinated by Interpol at the end of 2024. The campaign, Operation Thunder, involved law enforcement agencies in 138 countries and targeted six transnational criminal groups. Officials made hundreds of arrests and seized thousands of birds, turtles and other reptiles, primates, big cats and pangolins.   Big cats, birds, primates and pangolins were among the nearly 20,000 threatened or protected animals rescued in a recent global operation against wildlife and forestry traffickers. Led by Interpol and the World Customs Organization (WCO), the campaign, called Operation Thunder 2024, involved police, customs, border patrol, forestry and wildlife officials from 138 countries and regions. Six transnational criminal networks suspected of trafficking animals and plants protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) were identified, with 365 arrests made, the agencies announced on Feb. 4. The live animals seized were 12,427 birds, 5,877 turtles, 1,731 other reptiles, 33 primates, 18 big cats and 12 pangolins. Significant seizures included 6,500 songbirds discovered in Turkey during a vehicle inspection at the Syrian border, and 5,193 red-eared ornamental slider turtles hidden in passenger suitcases arriving from Malaysia at India’s Chennai International Airport.   “Organized crime networks are profiting from the demand for rare plants and animals, exploiting nature to fuel human greed,” said Interpol secretary-general Valdecy Urquiza. “This has far-reaching consequences: it drives biodiversity loss, destroys communities, contributes to climate change and even fuels conflict and instability.” Wildlife crime is estimated to be worth up to 17 billion pounds ($21 billion) annually worldwide, making it the fourth-largest international crime, after weapons, drugs and human trafficking, according to Interpol. A total of 2,213 seizures were made worldwide during Operation Thunder 2024, which ran from Nov. 11 to Dec. 6 last year, Interpol and the WCO said in a joint press statement. Authorities identified more than 100 companies involved in trafficking protected species, they added. Where possible, wildlife forensic experts collected DNA samples before transferring the recovered animals to conservation centers. These samples are often key evidence in prosecutions, but also can shed light on trafficking routes and trends.