Authorities Shut Down Thousands of Fraudulent Phone Numbers
German authorities have collectively deactivated nearly 10,000 fraudulent phone numbers in a targeted operation against online trading scams.
German authorities have delivered a significant blow to online trading fraud, deactivating 9,304 phone numbers identified as fraudulent over the past three months.
The operation, dubbed "Herakles," involved a coordinated effort between the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), state criminal police offices (LKA), public prosecutor's cybercrime centers (CCZ), the Financial Supervisory Authority (Bafin), and the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA).
This initiative is part of a broader strategic objective to systematically dismantle cybercriminal structures and permanently expel them from German territory. Last year, similar actions led to the removal of over 2,200 suspicious domains from the internet.
The crackdown specifically targets infrastructure used for fraudulent online trading platforms, aiming to protect consumers from financial losses.