In one of the biggest cybercrime crackdowns of the year, international authorities have taken down three massive credit card fraud and money-laundering rings responsible for defrauding over 4.3 million cardholders across 193 countries.
The coordinated operation, code-named “Operation Chargeback,” has so far led to 18 arrests and exposed losses exceeding €300 million ($344 million), according to Europol.
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November 4 Operation
Led by the Cybercrime Department (Landeszentralstelle Cybercrime) of the General Prosecutor’s Office (Generalstaatsanwaltschaft) in Koblenz, Germany, and the German Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt), the November 4 operation brought together agencies from nine countries — including the United States, Canada, Singapore, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands. It was coordinated by Europol and Eurojust, which called the operation “a textbook example of cross-border cooperation.”
Investigators say the suspects used stolen credit card data to set up around 19 million fake online subscriptions on websites offering pornography, dating, and streaming services between 2016 and 2021.
The fraudulent websites, which were deliberately hidden from search engines, processed small recurring payments of about €50 a month that were vaguely described, making it difficult for victims to notice unauthorized payments on their statements. By spreading small, repeated deductions across millions of accounts, the group managed to siphon off hundreds of millions of euros without drawing immediate attention.
Further, the investigators discovered that the networks had exploited the systems of four major German payment service providers, using insider access to push through illicit transactions. Among those arrested were five executives and several compliance officers for allegedly allowing access to their systems in exchange for fees.
Germany On the Offensive
In Germany, more than 250 officers carried out 29 searches across eight states, seizing assets worth €35 million in Germany and Luxembourg, including a cache of luxury vehicles, cryptocurrency holdings, laptops, and mobile phones.
The suspects, who come from Germany, the UK, Canada, the U.S., and several other European countries, allegedly used hundreds of shell companies, mainly in the UK and Cyprus, with help from “crime-as-a-service” vendors who supplied fake directors and forged know your customer (KYC) documents to disguise their operations and launder money.
“Operation Chargeback is a testament to the power of international cooperation in dismantling complex criminal networks. It underscores the critical role Europol plays in supporting law enforcement agencies across the globe,” said Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle.
“By leveraging our analytical capabilities and facilitating cross-border coordination, we have been able to bring down the networks defrauding millions of credit card users worldwide. This success demonstrates our commitment to staying ahead of evolving criminal threats. Together, we are making significant strides in the fight against serious and organised crime.”
The investigation, which began in 2020, involved over 90 mutual legal assistance requests to 30 countries and countless hours of data analysis. Europol and national police are still examining evidence collected from searches and digital devices.
The suspects now face potential charges including organised computer fraud, membership in a criminal organisation, and money laundering.
