281 Alleged Email Scammers Arrested in Massive Global Sweep

The action is the biggest of its kind yet against this type of digital scammer, and is a strong symbol of law enforcement's sense of urgency in trying to contain a rapidly growing threat.

"Will it make a dent? It's really hard to say," says Crane Hassold, senior director of threat research at Agari who previously worked as a digital behavior analyst for the FBI, of the arrests. "There are so many actors doing BEC and other types of social engineering scams—there could be thousands, especially in West Africa—that it's going to be difficult to make a significant impact overall."