Some 565 suspects were arrested in Europe and in North and South America in a crackdown on Internet fraud dubbed "Operation Global Con," US officials, in an AFP report, said.
The report said more than 2.8 million people, mainly elderly US citizens, fell victim to the scams, suffering losses totaling more than $1 billion, the US Justice Department said in a statement.
The operation, which began in March, targeted mass-marketing scams such as bogus lottery, prize and sweepstakes offerings; offers of nonexistent investments; fake offers of "pre-approved" credit cards or credit-card protection; and tax fraud schemes, the report said.
In the US, 139 suspects were arrested, with an additional 426 arrests in Canada, Costa Rica, the Netherlands and Spain.