Tag: fraud

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Cybercrime

Shutdown of Cryptomixer.io

From November 24 to 28, 2025, German and Swiss law enforcement authorities, supported by Europol and Eurojust, conducted a large-scale operation against the cryptocurrency mixing service Cryptomixer.io. Three servers in Switzerland were seized, the domain was blocked, and cryptocurrencies worth approximately 25 million euros were confiscated. Additionally, more than 12 terabytes of data were secured by investigators. Since its launch in 2016, Cryptomixer.io had been one of the largest Bitcoin mixers, anonymizing transactions by pooling coins from various users and redistributing them in smaller amounts to new addresses. This method disrupts the transaction chain and complicates traceability—a service primarily used in the underground economy and for obfuscating illicit financial flows.

The platform was accessible both on the clear web and the darknet, processing billions in transactions, many of which were linked to illegal activities such as ransomware attacks, drug and arms trafficking, or fraud. After the seizure, authorities placed a notice on the website warning that anyone using the service could face investigation. Whether this warning applies universally or requires nuanced consideration is a key question for those affected.

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Cybercrime Cybersecurity

Cyber pirates: Does the US want to legalize malicious hackers?

Return of letters of marque: The US may be on the verge of taking an unprecedented step in the fight against cybercrime: With the Scam Farms Marque and Reprisal Authorization Act of 2025, Congress wants to revive a centuries-old instrument – letters of marque and reprisal, also known as letters of marque. Historically, these allowed private ship owners to capture enemy merchant fleets on behalf of their country.

Now, cyber pirates are to be given similar rights to combat foreign hackers, fraud networks, and state-sponsored cybercriminals. But what at first glance appears to be an innovative solution turns out, on closer inspection, to be a highly controversial undertaking that raises profound legal, ethical, and strategic questions.

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Criminal Defense Liability of the management

“Operation Calypso” and the Power of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO)

The headlines are dramatic: 2,435 seized containers, €800 million in tax damages, arrests in four countries. With Operation Calypso, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) has dealt one of the biggest blows to organized customs and tax fraud in EU history. At its core is a system allegedly run by Chinese networks that has been evading duties and VAT on an industrial scale for years.

But behind the staggering numbers and images of confiscated e-bikes and textiles lie complex legal questions—especially for businesses, freight forwarders, and importers suddenly in the crosshairs of investigators. As a criminal defense lawyer specializing in tax law and a commentator on the work of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, I see this case not only as an example of effective law enforcement but also as a warning for everyone involved in international trade. Above all, the forfeiture of assets—a tool often wielded rigorously in such cases—poses significant risks but also offers potential for defense.

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Criminal Defense Cybercrime

Cybercrime criminal defense in Germany: Cybercrime investigations in transition

The way digital investigators work in Germany and Europe today has changed fundamentally—something that not all stakeholders have noticed yet. As a criminal defense attorney, I have been observing how things are changing in my own cybercrime cases for years—in addition to the wealth of information I receive from my network of clients and colleagues. And I can only say: it’s time to wake up. German investigators in particular are extremely persistent and know how to make the most of international instruments. Above all, the special public prosecutor’s offices in Cologne, Frankfurt, and Bamberg must be kept on the international radar.

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Criminal Defense Labour law

The A1 Certificate: Legal Certainty and Challenges in Cross-Border Work

Purpose and Function of the A1 Certificate: The A1 certificate (A1-Bescheinigung) is the key document in the European system for coordinating social security. It determines which national social security law applies when an employee or self-employed person works temporarily in another EU or EFTA country. Its core function is to avoid double contributions and to guarantee that the worker remains continuously insured under one system. In practice, this means that a German employee on secondment to France, or a Belgian professional temporarily working in Germany, continues to pay contributions only in the home country, as long as an A1 certificate has been issued.

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Criminal Defense

Organized Social Benefit Fraud in Germany

In recent months, the issue of organized social benefit fraud has moved to the center of political debate in Germany. Headlines about an alleged “citizens’ benefit mafia” dominate the discourse, accompanied by calls for tighter controls and tougher sanctions. At the core are cases where criminal groups bring people from Eastern Europe to Germany, provide them with fictitious employment contracts and registered addresses, and then have them apply for social benefits. The beneficiaries are compelled to hand over the payments to the organizers, often while living themselves in precarious conditions.

Some municipalities in the Ruhr area report systematic abuse and local politicians describe “mafia structures,” while others emphasize the weak statistical foundation of these claims. In 2024, there were 421 initiated proceedings nationwide concerning organized benefit fraud (the number is based on information provided by the federal government in BT-Drs 21/966, page 7) — a rise compared to the previous year, but still a numerically small fraction of the millions of recipients. Moreover, many cases do not end in convictions, making it difficult to assess both the actual scope of the problem and the size of the dark figure.

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Cybercrime Cybersecurity

Understanding cyber diplomacy as a strategic necessity

Cyberwar, cybercrime and the new geopolitics of digital sovereignty: the digital sphere is no longer just a technological terrain, but a battlefield of geopolitical interests. States are vying for influence, companies for market share and non-state actors are using cyberspace as an arena for espionage, blackmail and even digital sabotage – one reason why I keep returning to this topic.

I was interested to read the “Handbook for the Practice of Cyber Diplomacy“, published by leading experts in the field, which sheds light on the increasing importance of diplomatic strategies in cyberspace. It provides both a historical context and a pragmatic analysis of existing diplomatic mechanisms by which states attempt to bring order to a digitally fragmented global system riddled with power interests.

This is about far more than just cybersecurity: it is about power projection, economic dominance and the question of who sets the rules in the digital space.

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Liability of the management

Managerial Liability in the Raw Materials Crisis: Strategic Risk Management Beyond Routine

Raw materials are no longer just the foundation of industrial value creation – they have become a core element of geopolitical power strategies. In a world experiencing technological decoupling, the interplay between supply security, economic sovereignty, and corporate responsibility is entering a new and volatile phase. European industry, in particular, faces a systemic challenge: it is heavily dependent on imports from politically unstable or strategically assertive states, without possessing adequate security mechanisms.

This situation is not solely a political dilemma – it carries direct legal implications for corporate governance. Those who rely on business-as-usual in a foreseeably unstable supply environment are not only risking operational disruptions but also personal liability. This article analyzes the raw materials crisis through the lens of geopolitical developments and links it to the legal obligations for forward-looking, liability-aware corporate action.

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Criminal Defense

Transnational Fraud and German Criminal Law

The Hamm Higher Regional Court on Territorial Jurisdiction and Organisational Offences: In its decision of 14 May 2025 (Case No. 1 Ws 90/25), the Higher Regional Court (OLG) of Hamm addressed the applicability of German criminal law in cases where part of a fraudulent offence has been committed abroad, provided that the result of the offence occurs (even partially) within Germany. The case concerned a large-scale, cross-border fraud scheme involving so-called “training packages” which, in reality, served to promote a non-existent cryptocurrency. The ruling is particularly notable in its doctrinal approach, as the court invoked the concept of an “improper organisational offence” to qualify the entirety of the conduct as a single criminal act under German law.

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Cybersecurity Liability of the management Technology- & IT-Law

Liability of Companies in Phishing and CEO Fraud Incidents

Legal Standards and Case Law on CEO-Fraud: Phishing and CEO fraud have become prominent tools in the arsenal of organized cybercrime. Increasingly, companies are not just targets but gateways through which substantial sums are misappropriated—often under the guise of legitimate internal instructions. The legal fallout is predictable yet complex: Who bears the financial loss when a manipulated employee executes a fraudulent payment? Can the company hold its bank liable, or does the responsibility fall on internal governance?

This article explores the legal framework governing the liability of phishing and CEO fraud victims, particularly from a civil law perspective. The analysis is grounded in recent German case law, interpreted within the context of the European PSD2 regime and modern organizational security obligations.

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