Overview

• The domains were taken over on October 3 and now redirect to an LKA seizure notice, with about 866,000 visits recorded since the switch.
• Authorities say the sites drove ‘cybertrading’ scams that simulated investment gains while call‑center brokers pressured victims to deposit more money.
• The schemes targeted people in Germany and operated without any BaFin authorization for financial or securities services.
• The takedown was led by Baden‑Württemberg’s Cybercrime Center, the state criminal police and BaFin with support from Europol and Bulgarian law enforcement.
• Officials cite a June action that removed roughly 800 similar domains and warn criminals are scaling such fraud with AI, while no arrests have been announced and investigations continue.