Category: Europe

In a concerted operation, Belgian and Dutch authorities have cracked down on an internationally operating ‘phone phishing’ gang, leading to the arrest of eight suspects. In addition to ‘phishing’, or trying to gain access to bank or financial data by phone or online, the suspects also visited mainly elderly victims at their homes, pretending to be bank employees or police officers. Eurojust and Europol coordinated and supported the actions in Belgium and the Netherlands, where 17 places were also searched.

Most of the fraudulent activities took place in Belgium, but the organised crime group (OCG) behind the scam operated mainly from Rotterdam and other cities in the Netherlands. This week’s arrests have led to the apprehension of the alleged leaders of the OCG, though the investigations into the fraud continue. The fraudsters allegedly scammed victims out of at least several million euros. 

At the request of the Belgian Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO), Eurojust became involved in the case in November 2022. Subsequently Belgian investigative judges also asked for the support of Eurojust, which organised eight coordination meetings to enable the cooperation with the Dutch authorities and support the operation against the OCG. 

Throughout the investigation, Europol brought together all partners to facilitate effective coordination and the exchange of information between Member States. Europol experts also provided national authorities with analytical and financial support. 

Prevention

Authorities in both countries are warning customers to exercise caution with online transactions and not to trust phone calls allegedly made by banking staff. Citizens are advised to be cautious on the following points:

• Do not trust mails claiming to come from banks that state you urgently need to update your account. 
• Do not trust messages claiming that your phone account has been locked and needs updating.
• Be careful when buying goods via secondhand sites if sellers ask for an initial payment of EUR 0.01.
• Do not provide account details, PIN numbers or other financial information over the phone, even if the caller claims to be a bank employee.
• Do not trust phone calls or messages that say you have won a phone or another item but ask you to pay a small amount up front.
• Check URL links sent to you and make sure they start with ‘https://’.
• Beware of links that redirect you to a fake bank site. These may look similar to your bank’s website, but cannot be trusted. 
• Do not give any information to individuals claiming to be bank employees who visit your home. 
• Criminal groups often ask young people to lend their phone cards or bank accounts for seemingly harmless transactions. The police strongly advises people against this, as it may make them an accomplice to criminal activities. 

This week’s operation was carried out at the request of and by the following authorities:

• Belgium: Federal PPO (Federaal Parket); Investigating Judge Court of First Instance Antwerp, section Mechelen (Onderzoeksrechter van Rechtbank van Eerste Aanleg Antwerpen, sectie Mechelen); Federal Judicial Police East Flanders (Federale Gerechtelijke Politie Oost-Vlaanderen)
• The Netherlands: PPO Rotterdam (Openbaar Ministerie Rotterdam); National Police (Nationale Politie – Eenheid Rotterdam) 

French and German authorities, supported by Eurojust and Europol, have rolled up a criminal network responsible for transporting equipment used to smuggle migrants to the United Kingdom. An international operation took place on 4 December where five suspects were arrested in France and eight suspects were arrested in Germany.

Investigations into the criminal network uncovered a sophisticated operation across multiple countries. Nautical equipment such as inflatable boats, life vests and engines was purchased in Turkey and then taken to a warehouse in Germany. Human smugglers then picked up the equipment from the warehouse to take it to the coast of northern France. From there, the smugglers used low-quality inflatable boats to smuggle migrants over the Channel to the United Kingdom.

Yesterday’s operation follows a cross-border investigation between French and German authorities, coordinated by Eurojust and Europol. French authorities became aware of the network’s activities and found that most of the suspects to be living Germany. At Eurojust, the authorities worked together to define a strategy to take down the network and arrest the suspects. Law enforcement agencies from France and Germany worked together on this operation through a dedicated Europol Operational Taskforce. A coordination centre at Eurojust on 4 December ensured that authorities were able to cooperate in real time while actions were executed.

Over 500 German officers were deployed in the early hours of 4 December to take down the criminal network and execute European Arrest Warrants and European Investigation Orders from France. During the operations on 4 December, 13 suspects were arrested, including a High Value Target. Authorities searched 15 homes and 10 warehouses in Germany. They were able to seize supplies such as inflatable boats, flotation devices for children, air pumps and engines, as well as electronic devices, arms and cash.

The following authorities were involved in the actions:

• France: JIRS Lille (Interregional Specialised Jurisdiction) – Court of Lille; French Border Police
• Germany: Public Prosecutor’s Office Düsseldorf; German Federal Police