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Over 5,800 arrests, USD 293 million intercepted in global fraud bust

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A global anti-fraud operation involving 97 countries and territories has led to the arrest of 5,811 individuals and the interception of USD 293 million in illicit assets.

Operation First Light 2026 (15 Jan 2026 – 30 April 2026), coordinated by INTERPOL, focused on combatting social engineering scams and associated money laundering activities.

Social engineering is a broad term that refers to techniques that exploit a person’s trust to obtain money or confidential information. This type of fraud can include business email compromise, sextortion, as well as romance, impersonation or investment scams.

After an initial period of intelligence collection and exchange, participating countries took part in more than three months of operational activities. This included pro-active action against high-value targets, raiding identified premises, blocking or freezing bank accounts and virtual wallets, requesting INTERPOL Notices and Diffusions and proactively utilizing INTERPOL’s Global Rapid Intervention of Payments (I-GRIP), a stop-payment mechanism that facilitates the swift blocking of illicit financial flows of both fiat and virtual assets.

Over 142,000 victims globally were identified during Operation First Light 2026, highlighting the extent to which social engineering scams and fraud have escalated into a major transnational threat, affecting individuals, businesses and governments. Other significant results include:

– 152,808 cases analyzed

– 31,014 bank accounts blocked
– 23,715 cases solved
– 15,606 suspects identified
– 99 Notices and Diffusions issued

“Social engineering scams continue to pose a significant threat to our society. Criminal syndicates exploit human psychology to manipulate their targets, and no nation can stay safe unless all countries are equipped and committed to jointly fighting back. INTERPOL is dedicated to supporting member countries in building a comprehensive, coordinated strategy to tackle cyber-enabled financial crimes, organized criminal networks and the money laundering that fuels them.”

From scam centres to money laundering: key cases reveal full spectrum of financial fraud

• In Eswatini, police arrested 82 people and dismantled a criminal network running illegal online gambling, money laundering and elaborate impersonation scams. Authorities seized 240 electronic devices, foreign currency and a realistic replica of a Brazilian police station, complete with fake uniforms, signage and equipment. Posing as Brazil’s Federal Police via video call, the scammers deceived their targets into believing they were victims of a crime, tricking them into transferring funds for “safekeeping,” which were then stolen.

Due to the scale and complexity of the digital evidence, an INTERPOL Operational Support Team was deployed at the request of authorities in Eswatini to provide forensic analysis of the seized devices.

• In Thailand, police made two arrests and uncovered a money laundering scheme that funneled illicit funds from romance scams into various cryptocurrencies, utilizing cross-chain token swaps to obscure the financial trail. Investigations showed that the digital wallet of one of the suspects, aged 20, had processed more than USD 122.5 million in just 10 months.

• Authorities in Singapore and Oman utilized I-GRIP to block a USD 6.6 million illicit transfer linked to a Business Email Compromise scam. In this case, a Singapore-based commodity trading firm was targeted by criminals impersonating a supplier.

• Police in Macao, China carried out anti-fraud community outreach as part of Operation First Light 2026. During the initiative, police discovered that one of the public participants was actively being manipulated by a criminal syndicate.  Impersonating public officials, the perpetrators had convinced the victim to transfer money under the guise of a fraud investigation. Thanks to the public campaign, police were able to intervene before the victim sent close to USD 372,000 to the fraudsters.

• Authorities in Palau deported 22 individuals for their role in two connected scam centres being conducted from hotels. The suspects utilized cryptocurrency and illegal gambling websites to target victims in foreign countries, operating a range of online fraud schemes-KBC.

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National Assembly dismisses claims Sacco Bill is being rushed through Parliament

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The National Assembly has dismissed reports that the Sacco Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2025, is being rushed through Parliament, saying the proposed law is still undergoing public participation.

Through infographics shared on Facebook on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, Parliament said misleading information had been circulating online about the Bill, formally known as the Sacco Societies (Amendment) Bill, National Assembly Bill No. 32 of 2025.

Bill was published in June 2025

The National Assembly said the Bill was published on June 30, 2025, and had remained under consideration for more than 12 months.

It rejected suggestions that lawmakers were fast-tracking the proposed amendments without allowing enough time for scrutiny.

According to Parliament, the lengthy period between the publication of the Bill and its current consideration shows that it is not being rushed.

Bill currently before the National Assembly committee

The Sacco Societies Amendment Bill is currently before the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives.

The committee is conducting public participation and receiving views from members of the public and other stakeholders.

The submissions are expected to help the committee assess the proposed amendments before presenting its recommendations to the National Assembly.

What happens after public participation?

After the public participation process is concluded, the committee will prepare a report containing its findings and recommendations.

Parliament said the views submitted by members of the public and stakeholders could inform further amendments to the Bill.

The proposed legislation will then proceed to the National Assembly for consideration by MPs.

This means the Bill has not yet completed the legislative process and could still be amended based on the submissions received during public participation.

Bill will be forwarded to Senate

The National Assembly also clarified that the Bill will not proceed directly for presidential assent after being passed by MPs.

Because the proposed legislation concerns county governments, it will be forwarded to the Senate for consideration in accordance with the Constitution.

The Senate will be required to consider the Bill before it can complete the parliamentary process and be presented for presidential assent.

Parliament urged members of the public to rely on verified information about the Sacco Societies Amendment Bill instead of unconfirmed reports circulating online-PeopleDaily.Digital.

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Digital house-hunting platform bets on technology to reshape Nairobi’s rental market

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NAIROBI, Kenya, July 14 – A growing shift towards digital property searches is changing how Kenyans find rental homes, with real estate technology platform Reemio positioning itself as a solution to longstanding challenges.

This included fraudulent listings, costly house searches and limited market transparency.

As younger, tech-savvy consumers turn to online platforms to make purchasing decisions, the company says digitizing the rental process could improve efficiency for both tenants and landlords while lowering transaction costs.

“Our niche is to solve the problem of house hunting and also bring trust into that process. We use technology to connect renters and landlords,” said Kimani.

Kimani said the platform seeks to address inefficiencies that have traditionally made house hunting expensive and time-consuming.

Instead of physically visiting multiple properties, users can browse verified listings, take virtual tours, compare amenities and access information on additional costs such as water charges, electricity bills and service fees before scheduling physical viewings.

Beyond improving convenience for tenants, Reemio argues that technology can help landlords reduce marketing costs, shorten vacancy periods and reach a wider pool of prospective tenants, including Kenyans living abroad.

The company says its platform also generates market data that can help property owners and developers better understand evolving consumer preferences, although its long-term impact will depend on wider adoption of digital property platforms and continued investment in trustworthy online real estate marketplaces-Capitalfm.co.ke.

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ORPP edges two parties closer to joining Kenya’s political arena

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The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) has issued a notice for the provisional registration of two proposed political parties, opening a seven-day window for members of the public to lodge objections.

In a notice published by the Registrar of Political Parties and Chief Executive Officer J.C. Lorionokou, the ORPP announced that the Social Democratic Party of Kenya (SDP) and the People’s Alternative Voice (PAV) are in the process of being provisionally registered under Section 5(2)(a) of the Political Parties Act.

The ORPP, a State office established under Section 33 of the Political Parties Act and Article 260 of the Constitution, said its mandate includes registering and regulating political parties as well as administering the Political Parties Fund.

According to the notice, the Social Democratic Party of Kenya (SDP) has adopted pink, white and sky blue as its official party colours, with the slogan “Change – Mageuzi.” The party’s symbol is the acronym SDP enclosed inside a circle.

The party’s listed founder members are Nyangong’ Duncan Nyumbah, Omwandasi Jared Dishon and Kinyua Mary Wacuka.

The founders of PAV are listed as Odenyo John Fitzgerald Elly, Nyando Rachel Mmboga and Ali Hussein Kiplangat.

The Registrar said particulars of the two proposed political parties have been published on the ORPP website to facilitate public scrutiny as required by law.

Any person wishing to oppose the provisional registration of either party has seven days from the date of publication of the notice to submit objections either in writing or in person to the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties at Lion Place, Fourth Floor, Waiyaki Way at Karuna Close, Nairobi.

The provisional registration marks the first step in the legal process of establishing a political party in Kenya.

Kenya has 91 fully registered political parties. The ORPP’s updated register indicates that, as of January 2026, there were 91 parties that had met the legal requirements for full registration under the Political Parties Act-STAR.

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