In a coordinated operation across three continents, investigators have targeted alleged fraud and money laundering networks, including in Germany. The accused are said to have misused credit card data from 193 countries to create over 19 million fake subscriptions. The damage amounts to hundreds of millions of euros.
The international raid took place on Tuesday and involved searches in several countries. Involved were, among others, the Landeszentralstelle Cybercrime of the Generalstaatsanwaltschaft Koblenz and the Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) in Germany. Premises were searched in Germany, Italy, Canada, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, the United States, and Cyprus, with several individuals arrested.
The accused are alleged to have used credit card data from victims in 193 countries to subscribe to more than 19 million memberships via professionally operated fake websites, as announced by the BKA. There is also suspicion that four major German payment service providers were compromised to process payments. The actual damage totals a mid-three-digit million euro amount.
The operation targeted networks that allegedly earned hundreds of millions of euros through fake subscriptions. Affected are credit card holders from nearly 200 countries. Further details will be released at a press conference on Wednesday.