CyberDigest - cybercrime and e-evidence
Latest updates: 28 February 2025 Receive our newsletter in your mailbox! Sign up now 
The Cybercrime Digest is a bi-weekly update and global outlook issued by the Cybercrime Programme Office of the Council of Europe (C-PROC). The content shared on this page does not represent official positions of the Council of Europe. Please read our disclaimer for more details.
25 arrested in global hit against AI-generated child sexual abuse material
Europol has supported authorities from 19 countries in a large-scale hit against child sexual exploitation that has led to 25 arrests worldwide. The suspects were part of a criminal group whose members were engaged in the distribution of images of minors fully generated by artificial intelligence...
PF deflagra Operação Código Aberto no Rio de Janeiro, Baixada Fluminense e Região dos Lagos
Na manhã desta quinta-feira, 27/2, a Polícia Federal e o Ministério Público Federal, por meio do Grupo de Atuação Especial de Combate ao Crime Organizado (GAECO), deflagraram a Operação Código Aberto nos municípios de São Pedro da Aldeia/RJ, Nova Iguaçu/RJ e Rio de Janeiro – bairro de Irajá, na...
Disrupting a global cybercrime network abusing generative AI
In an amended complaint to recent civil litigation, Microsoft is naming the primary developers of malicious tools designed to bypass the guardrails of generative AI services, including Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI Service. We are pursuing this legal action now against identified defendants to stop...
CyberSouth+: Advanced judicial training on cybercrime and electronic evidence for magistrates in Morocco
Some 32 Moroccan prosecutors and judges participated in the advanced judicial training organised by the CyberSouth+ project, a joint initiative of the European Union and the Council of Europe, in cooperation with the High Institute of Magistrates of Morocco, in Tangier, on 24-27 February 2025.
North Korea behind $1.5bn hack of crypto exchange ByBit, says FBI
North Korea was behind the theft of approximately $1.5bn in virtual assets from a cryptocurrency exchange, the FBI has said, in what is being described as the biggest heist in history. The haul, which reportedly has since lost some of its value, exceeded the previous record sum of $1bn stolen by...
Philippine authorities arrest more than 400 people in suspected cybercrime hub
More than 400 people, half of them from China, were arrested by Philippine authorities in a raid on a suspected online gambling and scam hub in a busy commercial district in the capital, officials said Thursday. The 401 detained included 207 Chinese and 132 Vietnamese nationals who were arrested...
Un Genevois victime d’une arnaque au faux policier au moyen d’un «deepfake»
Eric* peine encore à comprendre qu’il vient d’éviter une arnaque au faux policier. Et pour cause: les techniques utilisées par les cybercriminels – bien que traditionnelles sur le fond – étaient d’une modernité sans précédent: ses interlocuteurs avaient le visage modifié par l’intelligence...
Brazilian Extradited from Switzerland to the United States to Face Indictment Charging Involvement in $290M+ Cryptocurrency Fraud Scheme
A citizen of Brazil appeared in U.S. District Court in Seattle today, after being extradited from Switzerland to face a 13-count indictment for wire fraud and conspiracy regarding his bitcoin investment scheme, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Douver T. Braga, 48, lived in...
INTERPOL and African Development Bank to cooperate on combating financial crime and corruption
INTERPOL and the African Development Bank Group have signed a letter of intent to pursue greater cooperation to combat corruption, financial crime, cyber-enabled fraud and money laundering. The letter was signed by African Development Bank President Dr Akinwumi Adesina and INTERPOL Secretary...
Commission presents new best-practice election toolkit on the Digital Services Act
The DSA elections toolkit summarises the best approaches and practices that national regulators have pioneered over the last year to mitigate risks on Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) and Very Large Online Search Engines (VLOSEs) during elections. The toolkit is a set of best practices that...
CyberSouth+: Training on investigating OCSEA for law enforcement and criminal justice representatives in Morocco
On 19-20 February 2025, the CyberSouth+ joint initiative of the European Union and the Council of Europe, with the support of MA-JUST programme, supported the delivery of a hands-on training on investigating Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (OCSEA) in Rabat, Morocco.
Thousands rescued from illegal scam compounds in Myanmar as Thailand launches huge crackdown
About 7,000 people have been rescued from illegal call centre operations in Myanmar and were waiting to be transferred to Thailand, prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said on Wednesday, as the country launched a large-scale crackdown on scam centres operating on the border. The prime...
Consejo de Europa saluda el compromiso de Marruecos para proteger a los niños de la explotación y los abusos sexuales en línea
La jefa de la oficina del Consejo de Europa en Marruecos, Carmen Morte Gomez, se congratuló, el martes en Rabat, de las medidas adoptadas por el Reino para reforzar la protección de los niños contra la explotación y los abusos sexuales en línea. Expresándose en una conferencia sobre «La...
Convention des Nations Unies sur la cybercriminalite : une avancee au prix des droits humains ?
La Convention des Nations Unies sur la cybercriminalité constitue une avancée significative dans la lutte contre un phénomène mondial menaçant la sécurité numérique ainsi que l'intégrité des systèmes économiques et sociaux. En établissant des normes universelles pour la définition des infractions...
CyberSouth+: Conference on the Exploitation and Online Sexual Abuse of Children
On 18 February 2025, CyberSouth+, joint initiative of the European Union and the Council of Europe, with the support of Council of Europe’s Children’s Rights Division and MA-JUST programme organised a conference on “Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse” (OCSEA) in Rabat, Morocco.
