Police seize over 100 servers in international fraud probe

The Itzehoe Public Prosecutor’s Office in Germany led an international operation on 3 November to disrupt a multimillion‑euro investment-fraud network. Police seized more than 100 servers and shuttered several fraudulent websites connected to the operation. Victims were trafficked to these sites through deceptive ads that promised large gains with no risk; once interest was recorded, personal data was handed to criminal groups running scam call centres.

The fraudsters used social engineering and apparent account gains to persuade victims to invest further, while delaying withdrawals and then cutting contact, leaving victims with little chance of recovery. Europol attributed losses at more than €4 million (about $4.5 million) with potential victims in as many as 50 countries.

Authorities also arrested seven suspects on the day, who will be extradited to Germany, and conducted searches at 17 locations to gather further evidence and assets. The investigation involved international cooperation with Albania, Cyprus, Finland, Germany, Israel, Kosovo and North Macedonia, reflecting the transnational nature of the scheme. Scam call centres have been identified in Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia, according to Europol.

The case stretches back to 2022, when a German couple reported being unable to withdraw funds; previous action days in 2022 and 2025 led to arrests and seizures, but investigators say they have not yet dismantled the network. Europol highlighted investment fraud as a high‑yield cybercrime trend in recent years.