\r\n\u00a9 2022<\/p>\r\n
Any use of Europol\u2019s logo requires prior written consent.<\/p>\r\n","footer-bottom-second":"
Europol is committed to user privacy. All personal data collected by Europol are processed in accordance with the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2018\/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 45\/2001 and Decision No 1247\/2002\/EC. We will handle all the information received from you confidentially. Confidentiality implies that your personal data will be disclosed only to authorised personnel of Europol. However, it may be necessary for the future investigation to inform the national competent authority concerned about the content of the information received from you and\/or your identity.<\/p>\r\n"},"terms":{"tags":[],"languages":[{"id":362,"title":"Bulgarian"},{"id":579,"title":"Gaelic"},{"id":574,"title":"Icelandic"},{"id":557,"title":"Luxembourgish"},{"id":580,"title":"Macedonian"},{"id":515,"title":"Norwegian"},{"id":516,"title":"Russian"},{"id":517,"title":"Ukranian"},{"id":363,"title":"Spanish"},{"id":364,"title":"Czech"},{"id":365,"title":"Danish"},{"id":366,"title":"German"},{"id":367,"title":"Estonian"},{"id":368,"title":"Greek"},{"id":369,"title":"English"},{"id":370,"title":"French"},{"id":371,"title":"Irish"},{"id":372,"title":"Italian"},{"id":373,"title":"Latvian"},{"id":374,"title":"Lithuanian"},{"id":375,"title":"Hungarian"},{"id":376,"title":"Maltese"},{"id":377,"title":"Dutch"},{"id":378,"title":"Polish"},{"id":379,"title":"Portuguese"},{"id":380,"title":"Romanian"},{"id":381,"title":"Slovak"},{"id":382,"title":"Slovene"},{"id":383,"title":"Finnish"},{"id":384,"title":"Swedish"},{"id":385,"title":"Croatian"},{"id":386,"title":"Other"}]}},"NodeLoader":{"node":{"id":3750,"type":"news","title":"60 e-commerce fraudsters busted during international operation","alias":"\/media-press\/newsroom\/news\/60-e-commerce-fraudsters-busted-during-international-operation","published":1572429600,"navigation":{"previous":"\/media-press\/newsroom\/news\/french-jeweller-held-in-germany-in-international-gold-trafficking-investigation","next":"\/media-press\/newsroom\/news\/europol-happy-to-announce-2019-law-enforcement-photos-of-year"},"updated":1683187520,"body":"
A joint law enforcement operation supported by 19 countriesi<\/sup> led to the arrest of 60 people suspected of fraud. The main aim of the 2019 e-Commerce Action (eComm 2019) is to target criminal networks suspected of online fraud through coordinated law enforcement action within the European Union, followed by an awareness-raising campaign.<\/p>\n\n The operation, carried out nationally, was coordinated by Europol\u2019s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3)<\/a> and received direct assistance from national law enforcement authorities and the private sector. <\/p>\n\n E-commerce fraud (electronic commerce fraud) includes illegal or false transactions made on online platforms, apps and services or over the internet: fraudsters simply use stolen card information to purchase goods on webshops. eComm 2019 led to:<\/p>\n\n The investigative measures revealed that individual fraudsters are connected to organised crime groups and have been involved in other forms of crime, such as phishing, malware attacks, using stolen passports, money laundering, creating fake websites and using social media platforms to carry out fraud. <\/p>\n\n This year, an increase was reported in the number of fraudulent purchases of services online instead of physical goods: this makes it very complex to investigate due to the virtual dimension of this crime. Fraudulent purchases of entrance or concert tickets, subscriptions and rentals are all done online, including through apps (i.e. non-card purchase, non-physical). Many cross-border cases followed the \u2018advance fee fraud\u2019 modus operandi: often when a fraudulent purchase is made, bank accounts receiving the funds are located in different EU countries or overseas. Where banks were located outside the EU, international card schemes supported the investigations. It is always better to prevent a crime, rather than solve a crime. This operational action has been followed by a prevention and awareness-raising campaign, #BuySafePaySafe. There are a number of guidance measures you can follow to avoid becoming a victim of fraud:<\/p>\n\n Read more about safe online shopping on e-Commerce: tips and advice to avoid becoming a fraud victim.<\/a><\/p>\n\n
\n
\nThe suspects arrested during the operation \u2013 which ran from 23 September to 4 October 2019 \u2013 were responsible for almost 6 500 fraudulent transactions with compromised credit cards, with an estimated value exceeding \u20ac5 million.
\n
\nEuropol supported national competent authorities during the operations in their respective countries with analytical support and information exchange. In order to protect customers from fraudulent payments and assure a safe online environment, Europol also collaborated with banks, payment card schemes European retailers and logistics companies. The private sector supported the action cooperating with national law enforcement authorities, by reporting fraudulent activity. This collaboration between law enforcement and the private sector has proven beneficial and led to the development of best practices. <\/p>\n\n\n\t
Investigations leading to real results \u200b<\/h2>\n\n
\n
\nSome investigations showed fraudulently booked railway tickets (with compromised credit card data) are sold onwards to third parties who might then use them to commit other crimes and offences. In this case, more than 1 000 fraudulent bookings were noted, with a financial loss of around \u20ac70 000. Another modus operandi is to buy vouchers with compromised credit cards and get them reimbursed with a different payment method afterwards.<\/p>\n\n
\n
\nMany websites and social media accounts were used to create online shops fraudulently or purchase electronic goods. The turnover for the suspects can be up to billions of euros worldwide every year. The fraudsters use stolen credit card data, obtained on the darknet or through malware or phishing attacks, to buy products. Consumers sometimes do not realise that their card data is also being stolen or compromised when they make purchases. Industries, banks and the merchants are the ones to be penalised and the ones that registered the higher losses.
\n
\nTo protect consumers and provide them with more information, the Payment Service Directive 2 (PSD 2)<\/a> came into effect in September 2019. One important aspect of the PSD 2 is described as Secure Customer Authentication (SCA), a secure process for customers when paying online. <\/p>\n\nPrevention<\/h2>\n\n
\n\t