Police Seize 100+ Servers in Four-Year International Investment Fraud Takedown
German-led law enforcement, coordinated by the Itzehoe Public Prosecutor's Office and Europol, conducted an action day on November 3, 2026 against a company believed to host fraudulent investment websites used in a long-running scam scheme. Authorities seized over 100 servers, shut down several scam websites, arrested seven suspects for extradition to Germany, searched 17 locations, and seized evidence and assets. The scheme lured victims via deceptive ads promising high-return, no-risk investments, then handed victim data to criminal call centers in Albania, Kosovo, and North Macedonia, where scammers posing as brokers used social engineering to extract funds before cutting contact. Investigators estimate losses exceeding €4m ($4.5m) across potential victims in up to 50 countries.
Detalhes técnicos
The operation involved cooperation between Albania, Cyprus, Finland, Germany, Israel, Kosovo, and North Macedonia. The case originated in 2022 from a German couple's complaint about being unable to withdraw funds. Prior action days occurred on September 6, 2022 (searches in Belgium and Latvia, two arrests, identification of seven network members including call center managers) and May 13, 2025 (eight simultaneous searches in Albania, Cyprus, and Israel, one arrest in Cyprus, seizure of devices, documents, and cash). Police note they are not claiming to have fully dismantled the network. The FBI reported investment fraud as the highest-grossing cybercrime type in 2025, generating nearly $8.7bn, with other notable European schemes including an €89m ring dismantled in 2023 and a €15m operation disrupted in 2021.
Linha do tempo
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Police Seize 100+ Servers in Four-Year International Investment Fraud Takedown
ler a análise desta fonte ocultar
German-led law enforcement, coordinated by the Itzehoe Public Prosecutor's Office and Europol, conducted an action day on November 3, 2026 against a company believed to host fraudulent investment websites used in a long-running scam scheme. Authorities seized over 100 servers, shut down several scam websites, arrested seven suspects for extradition to Germany, searched 17 locations, and seized evidence and assets. The scheme lured victims via deceptive ads promising high-return, no-risk investments, then handed victim data to criminal call centers in Albania, Kosovo, and North Macedonia, where scammers posing as brokers used social engineering to extract funds before cutting contact. Investigators estimate losses exceeding €4m ($4.5m) across potential victims in up to 50 countries.
Technical Details
The operation involved cooperation between Albania, Cyprus, Finland, Germany, Israel, Kosovo, and North Macedonia. The case originated in 2022 from a German couple's complaint about being unable to withdraw funds. Prior action days occurred on September 6, 2022 (searches in Belgium and Latvia, two arrests, identification of seven network members including call center managers) and May 13, 2025 (eight simultaneous searches in Albania, Cyprus, and Israel, one arrest in Cyprus, seizure of devices, documents, and cash). Police note they are not claiming to have fully dismantled the network. The FBI reported investment fraud as the highest-grossing cybercrime type in 2025, generating nearly $8.7bn, with other notable European schemes including an €89m ring dismantled in 2023 and a €15m operation disrupted in 2021.