Operation Jackal IV, an eight-month international operation coordinated by INTERPOL, resulted in 58 arrests and the identification of 263 suspects.
INTERPOL said the operation targeted West African organised crime groups involved in cyber-enabled financial fraud, including romance scams, cryptocurrency and investment scams and business email compromise.
The case demonstrates why scams should not be viewed only as isolated interactions between a victim and a fraudster.
Organised groups can combine social engineering, financial infrastructure, stolen identities and digital communication tools.
For users, the same warning signs continue to matter: unexpected investment opportunities, requests to move conversations to unusual channels, pressure to send cryptocurrency and demands for secrecy should all trigger additional verification.
The scale of international operations such as Jackal IV also demonstrates why online fraud investigations can take months and involve agencies across multiple continents.
Cybercrime may feel personal to the victim, but the infrastructure behind it can be highly organised.