Kosovo police and Europol during the raids against an international investment fraud scheme, November 3, 2026. Photo: Kosovo Police
The European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, Eurojust, announced on Tuesday that seven persons were arrested in an international action against investment fraud in an action conducted with the EU police agency Europol that also involved Germany, Cyprus, Finland, Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Israel.
“Authorities, supported by Eurojust and Europol, have taken action against a criminal network running an investment fraud scheme, leading to the shutdown of over 100 servers and seven arrests,” Eurojust announced. According to Europol, extradition to Germany is being considered for the arrested.
The operation started in 2022 after a German couple reported that they had been victims of a fraud scheme after they invested savings but could not withdraw their profits from the online platform they had used.
Europol explained that, “led by the German Itzehoe Public Prosecutor’s Office (Staatsanwaltschaft Itzehoe), the operation targeted a company suspected of supplying fraudulent trading websites to criminal groups. The entity is connected to call centre operators who allegedly persuaded victims to hand over their savings. Investigators estimate losses exceeding EUR 4 million.”
Kosovo police announced on Facebook that after raiding five locations, three suspects were arrested in Kosovo. “M.P., I.H., and F.Z., [were arrested] on suspicion of committing the criminal offences of participating in or organising an organised criminal group, fraud, unauthorised computer access and computer fraud”. Police announced that “cars, mobile phones, computers and other electronic devices that may serve as evidence in criminal proceedings” were seized.
This is not the first time the international operation has made arrests in this case.
In May 2025, Eurojust announced that one suspect had been arrested in Cyprus after “an organised criminal group (OCG) operating globally defrauded more than 100 victims of over EUR 3 million through a fake online investment platform”.
In September 2022, Eurojust announced that two suspects had been arrested after raids in 12 locations. “With the support of Eurojust, authorities in Finland, Germany, Belgium and Latvia have succeeded in striking a blow against the operators of various fraudulent online investment platforms that have defrauded victims from 11 different countries out of several million euros,” it said.
