International law enforcement agencies have dismantled three sophisticated fraud and money laundering networks in a coordinated operation that uncovered one of the largest credit card fraud schemes in recent history.
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The operation, codenamed “Chargeback,” uncovered criminal activity affecting over 4.3 million cardholders in 193 countries, with total losses exceeding €300 million and attempted fraud exceeding €750 million.
On 4 November 2025, authorities carried out a massive law enforcement operation that included more than 60 house searches and 18 arrests in multiple countries. The operation was led by the Cybercrime Department of the Public Prosecutor's Office in Koblenz, Germany, and the Federal Criminal Investigation Office (Bundeskriminalamt), which had been investigating these networks since December 2020. Europol provided critical support throughout the investigation, coordinating efforts to arrest 44 suspects from Germany and other countries.
In Germany, over 250 officers from various agencies, including the Federal Criminal Investigation Office, the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) and tax investigation units, carried out 29 searches in buildings in various states.
Five arrest warrants were executed and authorities seized assets worth more than €35 million in Luxembourg and Germany. Those arrested include alleged network operators, executives from German payment service providers, intermediaries, crime-as-a-service providers and an independent risk manager.
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Between 2016 and 2021, criminal networks allegedly created approximately 19 million fake online subscriptions using stolen credit card information. These fraudulent subscriptions were presented as legitimate services for pornography, dating, and streaming that were professionally designed to evade search engine detection. The sites could only be accessed via direct URLs or specific links, making it difficult for victims to discover them.
The suspects deliberately kept monthly charges around €50 with vague transaction descriptions, making it difficult for cardholders to spot unauthorized charges on their statements. This strategy allowed the fraud to continue undetected for long periods of time, maximizing the criminals’ profits while minimizing the risk of detection.
Six suspects, including executives and compliance officers, are alleged to have collaborated with the fraud networks by providing access to payment infrastructure from four major German payment service providers in exchange for fees.
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To further conceal their activities, the criminals established numerous shell companies, mainly registered in the UK and Cyprus, acquired through crime-as-a-service providers who provided complete corporate structures with fake directors and fraudulent Know-Your-Customer documents.
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