Investigators from the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda and the Office of National Drug and Money Laundering Control Policy say prosecutions for cyber-enabled fraud are forthcoming, despite public frustration that no arrests have yet been made public.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Kelvin Thompson and Lieutenant Colonel Edward Croft, Director of the ONDCP’s Financial Intelligence Unit, addressed the delay directly during the National Cybersecurity and Fraud Prevention Forum.

Asked why no prosecutions have materialised despite several reported instances of fraud, Thompson said investigators initially did not recognise the scale of the problem.

“Once we identified the pattern, a joint investigative team has been put together,” he said, describing fraud as “a very complex crime” that “requires a lot of work behind the scene.”

Thompson said a single fraudulent transaction can implicate numerous beneficiaries, and that the current caseload spans close to a hundred beneficiaries and more than 20 victims across multiple banks.

The joint team includes the Director of Public Prosecutions, members of the Royal Police Force and members of the ONDCP.

Thompson said the police are being deliberate rather than rushed.

“We don’t want to put matters before the court, and every month or so we want an adjournment,” he said. “We want to make sure that we have the case together and then we file charges.”

He added that charges are expected soon, though he declined to give a timeline.

Croft was more pointed, telling attendees investigators already have identified suspects.

“We know who they are,” he said. “We are going to come and get you. So just be patient with us. We are working.”

He said the ONDCP continues to target both perpetrators and anyone who receives, transfers, withdraws or otherwise uses stolen funds, warning that such conduct “carries the same legal consequences as doing the financial fraud itself.”

Both officials cautioned against expecting quick arrests of low-level participants.

“What we are seeing from a strategic point of view, it’s a mechanism, an organised crime group,” Croft said, adding that investigators are not primarily interested in “the front runners or the mules” but in identifying those organising the schemes.

“It is not something that happens overnight,” he said, describing the approach as requiring “analysis,” “team approach,” “partnership” and “adequate strategic planning.”

Thompson urged victims to report incidents promptly and completely, regardless of embarrassment.

“Some people are embarrassed because of the experience and they try to give us limited information,” he said. “Don’t give us half information. Tell us everything.”

He said speed matters more than having a complete evidence file in hand, describing a case in which a second fraudulent transaction occurred while a victim was still at the bank reporting the first.

Reports require only basic information, he said, including an account number, name and address; supporting evidence such as screenshots or phone numbers can follow.

Croft said the ONDCP’s role extends beyond individual cases to broader intelligence-sharing, both with local regulators and with international partners, given that many schemes originate outside Antigua and Barbuda.

He cited a Financial Action Task Force finding that 90 percent of the 156 countries in its network reported cyber-enabled crime as their most prevalent emerging crime trend and said the regional Implementation Agency for Crime and Security had made similar observations.

Both officials said victims should ultimately expect compensation efforts alongside prosecution. “As best as practically possible, we want to ensure that the victims are compensated for the type of losses that they would have incurred,” Croft said.

Police say fraud prosecutions coming as investigators build cases against organised crime networks