Europol has supported a massive crackdown on a sophisticated cybercrime network responsible for large-scale online fraud.
Led by Germany’s Hanover Police and the Verden Public Prosecutor’s Office, the operation spanned several European countries, resulting in the seizure of over 50 servers and the arrest of two key suspects in Germany and Austria.
The investigation began in 2022, following reports of scammers posing as bank employees to steal sensitive data. This led authorities to a specialized online marketplace that trafficked in stolen information. The marketplace allowed criminals to buy data customized by region and account balance, making fraud operations more efficient.
The crackdown on December 4 saw coordinated actions in Germany, Austria, Finland, the Netherlands, and Norway, dismantling phishing networks and securing over 200 terabytes of digital evidence. Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) played a key role in supporting the investigation, providing expert forensic resources and facilitating cross-border cooperation.
Law enforcement agencies from Austria, Czechia, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, and Poland participated in the operation, which has significantly disrupted this major cyber fraud network.
