A sweeping international police operation coordinated by Eurojust has led to the arrest of 18 people suspected of running an enormous credit card fraud network worth more than EUR 300 million. Among those taken into custody are five executives linked to four German payment service providers who allegedly helped the network move stolen money through legitimate financial channels.
How the Scheme Worked
Investigators say the operation revolved around three connected groups that set up hundreds of fake online subscription sites, from dating and streaming to adult content platforms, to quietly charge unsuspecting users.
Between 2016 and 2021, the group is believed to have tapped into 19 million credit card accounts in 193 countries, slipping small transactions under the radar to avoid suspicion.
Most payments were kept below EUR 50, and charges appeared under vague or misleading names. Many of the websites were invisible to search engines, reachable only through direct links, which made them difficult for victims or banks to track.
Payment Providers Under Scrutiny
Authorities believe the criminals exploited four different payment infrastructures to process and launder the proceeds. Some company insiders, including compliance officers, are thought to have turned a blind eye — or even taken kickbacks — to keep the money flowing.
To disguise their activities, the suspects used shell firms in Cyprus and the United Kingdom, allegedly created through Crime-as-a-Service brokers that specialize in hiding ownership and money trails.
Luxembourg and U.S. Leads
The first break in the case came from Luxembourg, where prosecutors opened a probe into money laundering and misuse of corporate assets. Searches there uncovered assets worth several million euros, and cooperation requests were sent to multiple partner countries.
Because many suspects were German nationals, the case was ultimately merged into a larger investigation led by the General Public Prosecutor’s Office of Koblenz. Support from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York provided key financial records that helped map the network’s global structure and led to this week’s coordinated arrests.
Coordinated Action Across Continents
Eurojust organized four coordination meetings to plan simultaneous operations in Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, Cyprus, the Netherlands, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Singapore.
In all, investigators executed 90 European Investigation Orders and 30 Mutual Legal Assistance requests. Europol supplied intelligence support and deployed on-site specialists, including a cryptocurrency analyst in Luxembourg.
Raids and Seizures
More than 60 searches were carried out during the action day, resulting in the seizure of cryptocurrency wallets, luxury vehicles, laptops, phones, and communication devices. Hundreds of officers were involved in the simultaneous raids.
Participating authorities included:
- Germany: General Public Prosecutor’s Office Koblenz, Federal Criminal Police (BKA), BaFin
- Luxembourg: PPO Luxembourg, Investigative Judge, Financial Intelligence Unit, Judicial Police
- Cyprus: Attorney General’s Office, MOKAS, Cyprus Police
- Italy: State Police, Mobile Squad Novara
- Spain: PPO Audiencia Nacional, PPO Balearic Islands, National Police UDEF
- Netherlands: PPO Noord-Holland, National Police
- United Kingdom: Metropolitan Police, Essex Police, Eastern Region Special Operations Unit
- Canada: Department of Justice, RCMP, Toronto Police Service
- United States: DOJ Office of International Affairs, U.S. Attorney’s Offices (Central District of California, SDNY), U.S. Marshals
- Singapore: Singapore Police Force
This landmark operation demonstrates the effectiveness of international judicial collaboration in dismantling large-scale cyber-enabled financial crime networks spanning multiple continents.
