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Operation Chargeback Raids Hit Global Card-Fraud Rings, 18 Arrested

Authorities say millions of stolen cards funded sham subscriptions that siphoned hundreds of millions of euros.

Overview

  • Police searched more than 60 locations in nine countries, including Germany, the United States, Canada and Singapore, and executed 18 arrest warrants.
  • The networks allegedly used 4.3 million stolen card records from 193 countries to set up over 19 million fake subscriptions on covert entertainment sites.
  • Losses exceed €300 million with roughly €750 million in attempted charges prevented, and investigators count about 4.3 million victims worldwide.
  • Investigators suspect four major German payment-service providers were compromised to process transactions, and €35 million in assets were secured in Germany.
  • The probe targets 44 suspects, devices and data were seized for forensic analysis, and FAZ reports former staff at Unzer are implicated rather than current employees.