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Germany Leads Global Raids on Network Behind 19 Million Fake Subscriptions

A Wiesbaden briefing Wednesday will detail the alleged use of compromised payment processors.

Overview

  • Authorities conducted coordinated searches on November 4 across Germany, Italy, Canada, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, the United States, and Cyprus, detaining several people.
  • Investigators say the scheme used stolen credit‑card data from victims in 193 countries to enroll more than 19 million recurring subscriptions via professionally run fake websites.
  • The suspects are believed to have compromised four large German payment service providers to process transactions and move proceeds.
  • Officials estimate actual losses in the mid triple‑digit millions, reflecting the scale of cross‑border fraud and laundering.
  • A business outlet reported the arrest of a German financial‑services founder and a longtime partner in connection with the case, which authorities have not publicly detailed.