Police in seven countries have seized more than 100 servers and arrested seven suspects in a coordinated crackdown on an investment fraud network with potential victims in at least 50 countries.

The action day took place on 3 November 2026 and was led by the public prosecutor's office in Itzehoe, Germany, with support from Europol and Eurojust. Authorities in Albania, Cyprus, Finland, Germany, Israel, Kosovo and North Macedonia took part, searching 17 locations, including a call centre in Kosovo.

A supplier, not a single gang

The target was not one scam group but a company based in Cyprus and Israel that investigators say supplied fraudulent trading websites to other criminal groups, operating what Europol describes as a crime-as-a-service model. The suspected clients ran call centres in Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia, where staff posing as brokers pressured victims into handing over more money.

Eurojust puts the estimated losses at more than 4 million euros. The seven suspects were arrested for surrender or extradition to Germany. No convictions have resulted from this action, and the arrests are a step in an ongoing investigation rather than its conclusion.

How victims were drawn in

The scheme relied on fake online trading platforms promising substantial, quick returns from cryptocurrencies, foreign currencies and stocks. Victims were drawn in through deceptive online adverts and affiliate marketing, then contacted by call centre staff who presented themselves as brokers and persuaded them to invest. When victims tried to withdraw their supposed profits, they found they could not.

Europol's European Financial and Economic Crime Centre analysed the data gathered during the investigation and brought national investigators together to plan the action. Europol also sent experts to Albania and Kosovo to help with digital forensics during the raids, while Eurojust coordinated the judicial work from The Hague, including European Investigation Orders, European Arrest Warrants and freezing orders.

Four years from complaint to raids

The case began in 2022, when a German couple reported to police that they could not withdraw money they had invested through an online trading platform. The investigation that followed uncovered an international scheme, and two joint investigation teams were set up, one between Germany, Poland and Albania and another between Albania and Kosovo.

An earlier international action day ended with two arrests and the seizure of evidence. Working through that material, investigators identified seven more suspects, including the managers of the call centres, and traced the operation back to the suspected website supplier targeted on 3 November.

For the public, the case is a reminder that a professional-looking trading website and a persuasive caller are not evidence of a genuine investment. Regulators in most countries publish lists of authorised firms, and any platform promising quick, guaranteed returns should be treated with suspicion.

[Source: Europol](https://www.europol.europa.eu/media-press/newsroom/news/investment-scams-potential-victims-in-least-50-countries-over-100-servers-seized) | [Source: Help Net Security](https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2026/11/03/investment-fraud-network-servers-seized/)