---
title: "Germany arrests 18 in international crackdown on online fraud, German authorities say"
description: "An internationally coordinated action against alleged online fraud and money laundering networks that included German payment service providers resulted in 18 arrests, German authorities said on Wednesday."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Newsdeck"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-11-05-germany-arrests-18-in-international-crackdown-on-online-fraud-german-authorities-say/"
published: "2025-11-05T11:58:00"
updated: "2025-11-05T11:58:01"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 127
---

# Germany arrests 18 in international crackdown on online fraud, German authorities say

> An internationally coordinated action against alleged online fraud and money laundering networks that included German payment service providers resulted in 18 arrests, German authorities said on Wednesday.

By Reuters · Published 5 November 2025, 13:58 SAST · Updated 5 November 2025, 13:58 SAST

## Key points
- In a plot twist that could rival a heist movie, German authorities have unveiled a global credit card scam that bilked 4.3 million victims out of over 300 million euros using fake streaming and dating sites, with a cast of 44 suspects spanning from Germany to Singapore and beyond.
- German authorities reveal a massive fraud scheme involving credit card details of 4.3 million individuals from 193 countries, resulting in over 300 million euros in damages.
- Suspects exploited fake streaming, dating, and entertainment websites to siphon funds through fraudulent subscriptions.
- Four unnamed German payment service providers were compromised to facilitate the illicit transactions.
- Investigations span multiple countries, with 44 suspects identified, including network members and payment firm employees.

## Content

Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office and prosecutors said that between 2016 and 2021, alleged criminals used credit card details for 4.3 million individuals from 193 countries in their scheme, racking up damages of more than 300 million euros.

The suspects siphoned funds via subscriptions to fake websites designed for streaming, dating and entertainment.

The defendants compromised four major German payment service providers in order to process payments, they said. The firms weren't named.

Late on Tuesday, authorities disclosed they had searched buildings in Germany, Italy, Canada, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, the U.S. and Cyprus.

Prosecutors said they are focused on 44 suspects in Germany and other countries. Among them are members of the fraud network, employees of payment firms, and crime-as-a-service providers.

(Editing by Ludwig Burger)