An expansive international operation has successfully led to 18 arrests. German authorities confirmed the results of the massive crackdown on Wednesday. The global criminal scheme had heavily implicated German payment service providers.
German prosecutors, working with the Federal Criminal Police Office, disclosed specifics of the widespread fraud. Between 2016 and 2021, the alleged criminals acquired credit card data.
This sensitive information belonged to 4.3 million individuals spread across 193 countries. The complex operation amassed damages estimated to exceed 300 million euros.
Illegal Subscriptions Fueled the Scheme
The suspects reportedly stole funds from victims through unauthorized subscriptions. These subscriptions were connected to fraudulent websites. The sites were intentionally designed to impersonate legitimate streaming, dating, and entertainment services.
The perpetrators compromised four major German payment service providers. This access allowed them to successfully process the vast number of illegal payments. However, the names of the affected financial institutions were not disclosed by authorities.
Ongoing Investigation and International Scope
Authorities confirmed that coordinated searches were executed late on Tuesday. These raids took place across numerous international jurisdictions.
Buildings were searched in Germany, Italy, Canada, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, the U.S., and Cyprus.
The investigation remains active. Prosecutors are currently focused on 44 suspects located in Germany and several other countries. This group includes members of the primary fraud network, employees of the compromised payment firms, and those providing infrastructure for the criminal activity.
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