46 Countries Launch International Alliance to Combat Telecom and Cyber Fraud

Forty-six countries have formally launched a new international alliance aimed at improving cross-border law enforcement cooperation against telecom and cyber fraud, including criminal networks connected to online scams, money laundering and other digital offences.

The International Alliance Combating Telecom and Cyber Fraud was formally established on September 10 at an inaugural conference in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, China.

Representatives from 46 founding countries, 34 observer countries and four international organisations, including the United Nations and Interpol, attended the launch. The initiative was proposed by China and is being developed as an intergovernmental platform focused on cooperation between national law enforcement agencies.

Founding participants include China, Vietnam, Laos, Kenya, Cambodia, Pakistan and Russia, among others. During the conference, members issued a joint statement describing telecom and cyber fraud as an increasingly international problem that cannot be effectively addressed by individual countries acting alone.

The alliance is expected to promote regular law enforcement cooperation, stronger coordination between participating countries, professional training and joint exercises. Chinese Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong also called for more practical cooperation around major cases, criminal networks and key stages of the fraud supply chain.

The initiative comes as cyber-enabled fraud networks become increasingly international and sophisticated. Interpol's latest assessments describe scam centres as a growing global threat connected not only to online fraud but also to human trafficking, money laundering and organised crime. Some investigations have also uncovered links with illegal online gambling operations.

In a major Interpol operation earlier this year, authorities across multiple countries dismantled networks involved in financial fraud, including cases combining illegal online gambling, money laundering and impersonation scams. The organisation has repeatedly argued that cross-border coordination between police, financial institutions and other authorities is essential because criminal funds and digital infrastructure can move quickly between jurisdictions.

The new alliance does not replace Interpol or national law enforcement agencies. Instead, it is intended to create an additional specialised mechanism focused specifically on telecom and cyber fraud and related crimes, with participating authorities able to build more regular operational cooperation.

Its effectiveness will ultimately depend on how quickly the 46 founding members turn the framework into coordinated investigations, information exchange and joint enforcement. However, the scale of participation at launch shows that cyber fraud — including criminal activity linked to illegal gambling and digital payments — is increasingly being treated as a problem requiring organised international action rather than isolated national investigations.