EUROPEAN DAY OF ACTION TARGETS AIRLINE FRAUDSTERS
2013/6/28
The Hague, the Netherlands
European law enforcement agencies, supported by the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) at Europol, have held a day of action to clamp down on criminals using fraudulent credit cards to purchase airline tickets.
The international operation took place at 38 airports* in 16 European countries where law enforcement officers were deployed to stop and question individuals attempting to depart on flights leaving on 27 June 2013. Those that were found in possession of airline tickets purchased using stolen credit card details were denied boarding the flights and questioned by waiting police.
During the operation more than 200 suspicious transactions were reported by the industry and 43 individuals were detained in Austria (3), Germany (4), Greece (7), Finland (2), Ireland (4), Lithuania (3), Netherlands (5), Poland (3), Romania (1), Spain (4) and the United Kingdom (7). The individuals detained are linked to other criminal activities and will be investigated further in connection with the distribution of credit card data via the internet, intrusions into financial institutions’ databases, other suspicious transactions, drug trafficking, illegal immigration, counterfeit documents including IDs, and scams. Some of them were already wanted by judicial authorities under European Arrest Warrants.
The operation, which was coordinated on an international level by EC3, is the culmination of several months of planning with Visa Europe and a number of European and international airlines.
During yesterday’s action day, the European Cybercrime Centre in The Hague coordinated the international activities and facilitated communication between all parties involved. In addition, Europol deployed four mobile offices at airports in Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London (Heathrow) and Madrid, which allowed live access to Europol’s centralised intelligence databases. Visa Europe collected and transferred financial data from banks back to the investigators stationed at the airports.
The operation remains ongoing and intelligence on those involved continues to be shared with international law enforcement partners. The operation has had multiple benefits: crime prevention, disruption of organised criminal activities and further intelligence gained on the activities of organised crime groups operating within the EU.
Visa Europe’s Head of Fraud, Peter Bayley said: “Visa Europe is proud to have worked with all the international partners on this day of action. It is because of great work like this across the law enforcement industry, and Visa’s €100 million annual investment in new technology, that fraudsters face increasingly sophisticated methods of fraud detection and control. These factors also ensure Visa remains the safest and most convenient way for our customers to make payments.”
Troels Oerting, the Head of EC3 stated: “This is another great example of the increased cooperation between industry, Member States’ cybercrime units and the European Cybercrime Centre. This close way of working together is key if we want to keep pace with the development amongst organised criminal networks taking advantage of the new criminal opportunities in cyberspace. We are determined to continue developing new tools, new cooperation and new methods for fighting online crime. We are grateful for the support from our colleagues in the EU airports who are carrying out the frontline work, our partners in the credit card industry, and the airlines that are the victims of this fraud.”
For information on how to minimise your chances of becoming a victim of payment card fraud, please visit Europol's website.
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328 INTERNET DOMAINS SELLING COUNTERFEIT PRODUCTS TARGETED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT
2013/6/26
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and several law enforcement agencies in Europe, coordinated by Europol, announced the seizure of 328 domain names today. The seized websites were illegally selling counterfeit merchandise online to unsuspecting consumers.
During ‘Operation In Our Sites’ (IOS) - also known as ‘Transatlantic 2’ - HSI seized 177 domain names which targeted websites selling counterfeit trademark merchandise manufactured by American owned companies. Europol participated in Project Transatlantic 2 along with several European Member States such as Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain and the United Kingdom, resulting in the final execution of coordinated seizures of 151 foreign-based top-level domains such as .be, .eu, .fr, .ro, and .uk.
“American Icon/Transatlantic Two is a great example of the tremendous cooperation between ICE, our international partners at the IPR Center and the Department of Justice,” said Mark Witzal, Deputy Director of the IPR Center. “In order to go after these criminals who are duping unsuspecting shoppers all over the world, these international partnerships are vitally important. Counterfeiting is a global problem that affects us all.”
The IPR Center and Europol received leads from various trademark holders regarding the infringing websites. Those leads were disseminated to HSI field offices and to the investigating Europol Member States including Bulgaria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain and the United Kingdom.
“It is important to stop the sale of counterfeit products over the internet as it undermines legitimate businesses and also often causes health and safety risks to consumers. This successful transatlantic operation sends an important message to the criminals showing them that they cannot hide despite the fact that they are operating via the internet,” said Rob Wainwright, Director of Europol.
In addition to the domain name seizures, officials identified PayPal accounts utilised by the infringing websites. Proceeds received through the identified PayPal accounts, in excess of USD 30 000, are currently being targeted for seizure by the investigating HSI field offices.
The domain names seized are now in the custody of the governments involved in these operations. Visitors typing those domain names into their web browsers will now find a banner (example below) that notifies them of the seizure and educates them about intellectual property crimes.
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THE THREAT POSED BY ITALIAN ORGANISED CRIME TO THE EU
2013/6/24
The Hague, the Netherlands
Today Europol launches its Threat Assessment on Italian Organised Crime, which was carried out to evaluate the impact of mafia structures based in Italy on the European Union.
The assessment, which is the result of two years of work by intelligence analysts at Europol, underlines how the main Italian organised crime groups (principally ‘Cosa Nostra’, the ’Camorra’ and the ’Ndrangheta’) are operating worldwide but are careful to keep a very low profile, making it difficult for law enforcement agencies to detect their presence.
“The Italian mafia-style groups are among the most threatening in Europe and in order to fight them, a pan-European approach is needed. Those of us in the law enforcement community need to step up our cooperation in tackling the most dangerous criminal groups,” says Rob Wainwright, Director of Europol.
The main criminal activities of these groups are money laundering and large-scale drug trafficking. However, they are also involved in corruption, counterfeiting and the trafficking of toxic waste. These groups’ activities are particularly dangerous because they undermine the legitimate economy.
In these times of economic crisis, the immense assets that organised crime groups have at their disposal (the Calabrian Ndrangheta are estimated to generate illicit revenues of up to 44 billion euros a year) make it easy for these groups to infiltrate the legitimate economy, injecting much-needed liquidity into struggling businesses.
No truly legitimate business can afford to compete with criminal companies that can manage to produce goods and services at a loss as part of a long-term strategy to take over markets. The criminals’ ‘expansion strategies’ mean that they are now touching parts of Italy and Europe not historically affected by organised crime, which could cause serious damage to the EU economy in the long run.
The threat assessment concludes with a series of recommendations for law enforcement authorities and policy makers. Meanwhile, Europol has set up an operational project dedicated to tackling Italian organised crime groups. The project is fully supported by Italian law enforcement and judicial authorities, who are playing a key role thanks to their in-depth experience in the field. Many EU Member States, non-EU countries and organisations such as Eurojust are also involved in the project.
Sonia Alfano, Member of the European Parliament, says of the report:
“Europol’s assessment on Italian organised crime provides a detailed picture of the threat posed by mafia at a European level, confirming that they are not just a regional problem. This document shows how a quick response by the European Union is vital, to take adequate and specific policy measures, as suggested by Europol, to tackle this serious threat. The European Parliament will take on board the recommendations fully when drawing up the global plan against organised crime, corruption and money laundering, which we are currently working on in the CRIM Committee. As Chair of the CRIM Committee, I would like to really thank Europol and its Director for their work, which is in response to a specific request made by the European Parliament in its resolution on organised crime, approved in October 2011”.
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COUNTERFEIT EURO PRINT SHOP BUSTED IN AUSTRIA
2013/6/19
On 18 June, Austrian Police arrested 13 suspects from an international organised criminal group responsible for the production and distribution of counterfeit euro and Serbian dinar banknotes. In total, counterfeit euros worth over EUR 300 000 in value were seized, and 1.5 million in Serbian dinar.
The investigation started in 2012 and was led by the Austrian criminal police, working with the Austrian National Bank and Europol, which is the EU’s central office for combating euro counterfeiting.
During yesterday’s early-morning raid, more than 200 police officers, including Austrian Special Forces WEGA and Cobra, were deployed to execute 16 house searches across Vienna. During the searches, officers discovered a substantial amount of unfinished 100 euro counterfeit notes in the apartment where the print shop was located.
The print shop was equipped with inkjet and laser printers, scanners, computers, a laminating machine and a stamping device. The devices seized had also been used to produce 50 euro denomination counterfeits. Fake Serbian dinar banknotes in the denominations of 1000, 2000 and 5000 were seized, together with fake Serbian passports and other forged documents.
The arrested suspects were also involved in producing and distributing fake identity documents such as passports and driving licenses to criminals around the world.
During the investigation, Europol hosted one operational meeting and provided tailored analytical and technical support to the investigators. During yesterday’s action day, Europol’s team of experts were deployed with a mobile office to support the operation with on-the-spot intelligence analysis.
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HARD BLOW AGAINST RUSSIAN-SPEAKING MAFIA
2013/6/19
The Hague, the Netherlands
Early on 18 June 2013, Europol supported the arrest of 18 suspects, 13 of them ‘thieves in law’ (vor v zakone), from the Georgian Kutaisi clan. This is one of the most significant blows against clans controlled by this high-ranking, elite of the world of Russian-speaking organised crime.
The operation was developed in Italy where the Central Operational Service of the Italian National Police and the Squadra mobile of Bari led the case and arrested 7 people. Other arrests took place simultaneously in the Czech Republic (2), France (1), Hungary (1), Lithuania (5) and Portugal (2). As well as the arrests, weapons, drugs and EUR 100 000 were seized. Belgian, German and Polish law enforcement authorities also provided substantial operational support. This outcome is the result of 18 months of EU-wide intelligence exchange and evidence gathering activities in several European Union countries.
This is the first time in Europe that such a high number (13) of thieves in law have been arrested simultaneously. The arrest of the Kutaisi leader in Hungary is specifically a significant blow to Russian-speaking organised criminals. As well as the leader, the rest of the clan’s hierarchy were arrested. The operation is ongoing and further arrests are expected.
This EU-wide investigation was supported from the outset by Europol specialists who facilitated the exchange of criminal intelligence with other Member States, delivered analytical reports and supported the operation on the spot with a mobile office. Eurojust participated in several operational meetings held during the investigation and Interpol was also present yesterday in the operational centre.
In offering his congratulations to all the services involved in this operation Michel Quillé, Deputy Director (Operations) at Europol said: “In such operations the essential role in bringing separate, sensitive investigations together in a secure environment is exactly what Europol is designed to do. In this way a clear picture of the situation in the EU can be built up, intelligence exchange between Member States can be stimulated and Member States can be alerted to the need for them to launch their own investigations or support ongoing enquiries. This case is an excellent example of such cooperation working to protect EU citizens across several Member States.”
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RISE IN TERRORIST ATTACKS IN EUROPE IN 2012
2013/4/25
Findings from Europol’s latest strategic analysis product – the 2013 EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report – show how the total number of terrorist attacks and related arrests in the EU significantly increased in 2012, in contrast to previous years. This and other findings in the report describe a threat from terrorism that remains strong and varied in Europe. It continues to evolve from one posed by structured groups and networks to smaller EU-based groups and solo terrorists, while the Internet remains a key facilitator for terrorism-related activities.
The terrorist bomb attack at Burgas airport in Bulgaria, and the shootings by a lone gunman in France, claimed the lives of 14 people in 2012 and illustrate the serious threat that terrorism poses to the European Union and its citizens. Three other citizens also lost their lives to terrorism in 2012, in separate attacks in Belgium, France and Northern Ireland.
Meanwhile, increasing numbers of radicalised EU citizens travelled to regions of conflict to engage in terrorist activities. “There is growing concern about the threat posed by these people, given the possibility of their returning to the European Union intent on committing acts of terrorism”, says Rob Wainwright, Director of Europol. In this respect the developments in the Sahel region are of major interest to the security situation of the EU.
The main figures for 2012 are:
• 219 terrorist attacks in EU Member States (up from 174 in 2011)
• 537 individuals arrested in the EU for terrorist-related offences (up from 484 in 2011)
• 17 people died as a result of terrorist attacks in the EU.
• 400 individuals in concluded court proceedings for terrorism charges.
A number of firearms-related incidents occurred across the EU in 2012, the most prominent of which involved a religiously inspired solo terrorist, who shot and killed seven people in France. In the course of separate investigations, weapons and ammunition were also found with other religiously inspired cells in 2012. Furthermore, fatal and non-fatal shootings have been carried out by separatist terrorists and anarchists.
The Internet remains an essential communication platform for terrorist organisations and their sympathisers, enabling increasingly wide-spread access, anonymity and connection to a global audience that can be addressed in a targeted way.
The rapid development of social media on the Internet has provided new opportunities for instant and personalised access to supporters as well as potential recruits for terrorist groups.
“The fight against terrorism remains a top priority for the European Union and for Europol. We will continue to play a key role in combating organised crime and terrorism, using our unique information capabilities and expertise to support the competent authorities of the EU Member States”, says Rob Wainwright.
The TE-SAT is a public report produced by Europol on the basis of information provided and verified by the competent law enforcement authorities in the Member States of the EU. The arrests and terrorist or violent extremist incidents that took place in the EU, as referred to in this report, are those that Member States have reported to Europol for the purposes of the TE-SAT.
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EUROPOL LAUNCHES ITS INTERNATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION
2013/4/24
The Hague, the Netherlands - Europol is delighted to announce the launch of its annual photo competition for the best law enforcement photographs. This international photo competition, now in its fifth year, recognises outstanding photography from the challenging and rewarding work of police and law enforcement agencies.
Last year’s competition attracted a record number of entries from all corners of Europe and beyond. The high quality entries portrayed the highs and lows of law enforcement work, across the spectrum of services including police, border and customs guards, SWAT teams, Gendarmerie and more.
Entries this year are welcome from amateur and professional photographers working for law enforcement agencies and magazines in EU countries and those countries with Europol Agreements.
Three winning photographers will win a trip to the Netherlands and a visit to Europol. Other outstanding entries will be selected for use in Europol’s 2014 calendars, publications and other communication products.
The closing date for entries is 31 July 2013.
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DUTCH, INDONESIAN, KOREAN NATIONAL POLICE FORCES JOIN VIRTUAL GLOBAL TASKFORCE AT EUROPEAN CYBERCRIME CENTRE
2013/4/18
THE HAGUE, Netherlands – Three new member countries have joined the Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT), an international alliance of law enforcement and private sector agencies dedicated to combating online child sexual abuse. Representatives from the Dutch National Police, Indonesian National Police and the Korean National Police attended an official signing in ceremony at the new European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) at Europol’s headquarters in The Hague. Edwin R Nolan, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the United States Embassy in The Netherlands, also spoke at the event and stressed the importance of global cooperation in the fight against online child sexual exploitation.
“I am proud to welcome these three law enforcement agencies to the VGT and I look forward to working together as we expand the global reach of the VGT to combat the online sexual exploitation of children everywhere,” said VGT Chair Ian Quinn, head of the Cyber Crimes Center for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
The VGT now consists of 12 international law enforcement agencies, and 11 private sector partners. Earlier this year, Kids Internet Safety Alliance (KINSA) and NetClean joined the VGT as new private sector partners.
“The Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) is honored to join the renowned VGT as a new member,” said Kim Jae-kyu, director of the Cyber Terror Response Center for the KNPA. “With Korea’s new government placing an extra emphasis on the safety of children, the KNPA will actively engage in VGT projects and cooperate with members to save vulnerable children and to bring perpetrators to justice. The KNPA hopes our joint effort will lay the foundation for a safer world which children deserve to live in.”
“We would like to extend our appreciation for being a part of the VGT,” said Police Brigadier General Arief Sulistyanto, director of commercial crime for the Indonesian National Police. “This is an important opportunity to strengthen our efforts to combat crime, in particular online child pornography.”
"The Dutch National Police is looking forward to working with these important international partners that are united in the VGT,” said DNP representative Miriam Barendse, chief constable. “Only by means of a collective international approach, we will be able to combat the online sexual exploitation of children effectively. I am proud to be part of this effort".
The other nine VGT law enforcement member agencies are: HSI; the Australian Federal Police; the United Kingdom’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre; the National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre, a division of the Canadian Police Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, Royal Canadian Mounted Police; the Italian Postal and Communication Police Service; New Zealand Police; INTERPOL; Europol; and the Ministry of Interior for the United Arab Emirates.
The other VGT private partners are: End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes network (ECPAT International), International Association of Internet Hotlines (INHOPE), the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC), PayPal, Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit, World Vision Australia, Research In Motion and The Code.
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POWERFUL MEXICAN CRIMINAL SYNDICATES ATTEMPT TO DEVELOP THEIR EUROPEAN DRUGS BUSINESS
2013/4/12
The Hague, the Netherlands - As part of its responsibility to monitor developments in the threat from organised crime in Europe, Europol has gathered intelligence identifying that Mexican criminal groups are attempting to establish themselves as key players in the European drugs market.
Over the last decade, Mexican organised crime groups have developed a central role in the international organised crime landscape. They have become global market coordinators in trafficking cocaine for the European and North American markets, and in the production and trafficking of synthetic drugs for the European, North American and Asian markets.
In addition, groups such as the powerful and violent criminal syndicate, Los Zetas, are reportedly involved in trafficking human beings for sexual exploitation from North East Europe to Mexico. Mexican criminal groups are also trafficking firearms from South East Europe to barter with criminals involved in the cocaine trade in Central South America.
An attempt by the Sinaloa Cartel to settle in Europe, to develop their wholesale cocaine distribution business, was recently averted by a timely, intelligence-led law enforcement operation. Despite this, Mexican organised crime groups are expected to continue expanding their roles along the supply chain towards Europe to increase their profits.
These criminal groups have an extremely violent operating culture, however only an isolated number of violent incidents in Europe – including a murder attempt - have so far been attributed to the groups.
“We do not want the level of violence and brutality which we see in Mexico mirrored in Europe. Together with our law enforcement partners we will continue our efforts to tackle the criminals who are active within the illegal drug markets and ensure that Mexican organised crime groups cannot gain a foothold in Europe,” says Rob Wainwright, Director of Europol.
Europol’s latest threat notice (insert link to ‘public version’) on the impact of Mexican organised crime groups in Europe has been disseminated to Europol’s cooperation partners in the EU and beyond.
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MAJOR HIT ON INTERNATIONAL ALBANIAN ORGANISED CRIME NETWORK
2013/4/11
The Hague, the Netherlands - An organised criminal network of Albanian speaking criminals, suspected of illegally trafficking drugs with links to trafficking in human beings for prostitution, has been dismantled with the support of Eurojust and Europol. 19 persons were arrested yesterday during a joint action day which involved judicial and law enforcement authorities in Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Albania.
Seven arrests were made in Albania, one in France and 11 in Italy. Previously one arrest had been made in the Netherlands and one in Belgium, bringing the total number of arrests to 21.
The investigation began in Italy 2010 led by Mr Andrea Cusani of the District Anti-Mafia Prosecution office of Florence. The suspects involved in drugs trafficking and with links to trafficking of human beings for sexual exploitation were located in Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland and Albania. The targeted organised criminal group is predominantly composed of Albanian nationals, with leading members active in Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium.
Yesterday’s operation was coordinated from an Operational Coordination Centre set up at Eurojust, starting at 06:30 [CET]. The action day was run by the Italian National Desk at Eurojust, with assistance from the Eurojust Case Analysis Unit. Throughout the operation, Europol’s mobile office was deployed within the coordination centre with two officers, giving real-time support.
The action would not have been a success without the participation of the Arma dei Carabinieri, Comando Provinciale and Procura della Repubblica di Firenze; the Direction Interregionale de la Police Judiciaire de Bordeaux; the Investigative Judge in Brussels, the Public Prosecution Office and the Federal Judicial Police of Brussels; and the Albanian General Prosecution Office and Anti Drugs Special Police Unit.
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SUSPECTED LATVIAN MURDERER ARRESTED IN POLAND
2013/4/5
The Hague, the Netherlands - With the assistance from Europol a 33-year old Latvian criminal was arrested in Poland on the 3rd March. The fugitive was subject of a European Arrest Warrant, since he is the suspect of several murders and he has been charged with being a member of an organised crime group.
The Latvian citizen has been wanted for 3 years by Latvian authorities and he has most likely been living in Poland since a year ago, where he often changed his place of residence, appearance, mobile phones and cars. In the planning and coordination of the arrest all kinds of security and maximum of precautions were taken, because the criminal could have been armed and with his background as a former Latvian police officer he would be familiar with operational methods.
The criminal was observed by the Polish surveillance teams, waiting for the opportunity for his arrest. On 03 March 2013 at 2 a.m., he was detained in one of the late night shops of Bialystok in Poland. He was totally surprised and did not resist. The police found on him the identity card of another person whom he tried to impersonate. The man was taken to a police detention centre, where he will wait further prosecution and court decisions.
During the operation the Polish officers were in touch with their counterparts in Latvia, Lithuania and Europol, who coordinated the multilateral operation.
The following special units from the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBS) were involved in the search operation: Unit for International Cooperation, Fugitives Unit and Special Operational Department (Surveillance and SWAT-Team).
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