EAST participates at Europol Training on Payment Card Fraud Forensics

card fraud forensics EAST Development Director Rui Carvalho presented at the fifth edition of the Europol Training Course on Payment Card Fraud Forensics and Investigations at the Spanish National Police Academy in Ávila, Spain. His talk gave an overview of EAST, shared the latest statistics and trends on terminal fraud in Europe from the perspective of the private sector, and covered trends in payments, including an overview of regional and global e-wallets.

The Europol training, which ran from 8 to 12 July 2019, covered a wide range of topics  in the area of payment fraud, including online skimming, logical attacks on ATMs, card data analysis, cryptocurrencies, social engineering attacks and loyalty card fraud.

The training course was attended by 53 Investigators, forensic experts, and accredited trainers from 25 countries in the European Union, as well as from Colombia, Moldova and the United States.  Presentations were given by Europol staff and by key private sector organisations (including EAST). Since the first training in 2015 over 250 international students have benefited from the training programme, which has been supported by EAST from the outset.

This kind of event highlights the importance of close cooperation between the public and private sectors in the fight against cybercrime and all emerging threats in the field of payment card fraud. Such cooperation is enhanced by regular training, and by shared updates on investigative techniques and the improvement of forensic capabilities.

Terminal Fraud

terminal fraudWhile most payment transactions take place seamlessly and without issue, financial criminals remain active and terminal fraud is a problem for payment terminal deployers, ATM deployers, card issuers, equipment manufacturers and vendors, software providers, law enforcement agencies and other payment industry stakeholders.  On 10th October 2018 the EAST Expert Group on All Terminal Fraud (EAST EGAF) will hold an open Financial Crime & Security (FCS) Seminar in London to focus on the issue.  EAST EGAF is chaired by Otto de Jong of ING Bank.

EAST Executive Director Lachlan Gunn said ‘EAST EGAF was formed as a working group in 2013 and will hold its 16th Meeting on Wednesday 19th September 2018 in Amsterdam. Attendance at EAST EGAF meetings is restricted in accordance with the group’s Terms of Reference, which makes the coming FCS Seminar in October a great opportunity for all those affected by, or concerned about, terminal fraud to engage with EAST’.

This interactive event focuses on two key outputs of EAST EGAF – Guidelines regarding logical attacks on ATMs and standardised fraud definitions.  An introduction to the Group will be followed by a presentation of the latest EAST Fraud Statistics (H1 2018).  A session by Juan Jesús León Cobos of GMV will then focus on the evolution of cash-out/jackpotting attacks in Latin America, followed by a session by Europol’s Tobias Wieloch highlighting Guidelines on how to counter them.  A perspective on card shimming in the UK will then be given by forensic experts Brian Underhill and Nick Weber, followed by a session on the importance of standardising fraud definitions by Ben Birtwistle of RBS and Claire Shufflebotham of TMD Security. The event is co-located with RBR’s ATM & Cyber Security 2018 Conference.  See the full programme here.

Attendance at EAST EGAF meetings is limited, as it is a working group, and this EAST FCS Seminar enables wider participation and the opportunity for all attendees to engage with the Group and its organisers.


The Seminar is sponsored by:

 

 

 

 

EAST presents at Europol Training on Payment Card Fraud Forensics

card fraud forensics trainingOn 26 June 2018 EAST Development Director Rui Carvalho presented at the fourth edition of the Europol Training Course on Payment Card Fraud Forensics and Investigations at the Spanish National Police Academy in Ávila, Spain. His talk gave an overview of EAST and covered terminal and payment fraud in Europe from the perspective of the private sector.

The Europol training, which ran from 25 to 29 June 2018, covered a wide range of topics including cryptocurrencies, ATM malware, forensic tools for the examination of skimming equipment, Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, EU regulation in non-cash payment, and data breaches or cyber attacks.

The training course was attended by 74 Investigators, forensic experts, and future police officers from 27 countries in the European Union, as well as from Iceland, Gibraltar, Montenegro, Moldova, Canada, Ukraine and South Korea.  Presentations were given by 33 speakers from different law enforcement agencies, the European Commission, Europol and bodies from the private sector (including EAST) and academia.  Since the first training in 2015 over 200 international students have benefited from the training programme, which has been supported by EAST.

EAST assists Europol-ASEAN Strategic Payment Card Fraud Meeting

Payment Card Fraud - 5th Strategic MeetingEAST presented at the 5th Strategic Meeting on Payment Card Fraud held in Hanoi, Vietnam on 29-30 May 2018.  EAST Executive Director Lachlan Gunn gave an overview on Terminal Fraud and Payment Fraud as seen by the industry in Europe and highlighted the issue of related fraud migration to China and the ASEAN region.

The growing presence of chip cards in the European Union (EU) has seen an increase in fraudulent payments with European cards at ATMs in Asian countries. Organised crime groups from Europe set up cells in Asia, creating an illegal network, which resulted not only in a higher number of fraud cases, but also in an increase of violence and serious incidents where members of criminal organisations were killed.

The Payment Card Fraud Meeting was aimed at consolidating and strengthening cooperation under the EURASEAN Investigative Network on Payment Card Fraud to provide an adequate and effective answer to this criminal phenomenon. This network, led by Europol, is supported by both ASEANAPOL and INTERPOL, law enforcement officers from EU Member States and 10 ASEAN countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) with the assistance of EAST representing the private sector.

The EURASEAN network, established last year, has been increasingly efficient and boosted several investigations that led to arrests between Bulgaria and Vietnam, France and Thailand and Romania and Indonesia. International cooperation, based on the exchange of information, technical support and strategies, whereby organised criminal groups active in Asia and Europe were disrupted, fugitives detected, false ID documents seized and criminal assets recovered.

In the fight against fraudulent payments and cybercrime, law enforcement agencies are not the only ones involved: a fundamental role is also played by the private sector. Stopping cyber fraud in the financial sector requires dealing directly with the private sector.  EAST has been closely working with Europol since 2004 and has had working relationships with ASEANAPOL and INTERPOL since 2015.

The trusted relationships established between Europol, ASEANAPOL and INTERPOL are a crucial factor in strengthening security and, ultimately, protecting EU citizens.

The meeting was financed by EMPACT (European multidisciplinary platform against criminal threats) and led by Romania. Bulgarian authorities led the action on cooperation with Asian countries.

EAST has supported all five of the Strategic Meetings on Payment Card Fraud held to date in the ASEAN region, as well as related meetings held in Europe and Latin America.

Four members of international Payment Card Fraud network arrested

payment card fraudFour key members of an international criminal network responsible for payment card fraud – compromising payment card data and illegal transactions against European citizens – were arrested on 30 November 2017, during a joint law enforcement operation called “Neptune”.  The operation, which was supported by Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3), was run by the Italian Carabinieri, in cooperation with the Bulgarian General Directorate of Combating Organised Crime, and the National Police of the Czech Republic.

Four Bulgarian citizens were arrested, leaders of a transnational criminal group who actively supervised all stages of criminal activities, including placing technical equipment on ATMs in the central areas of European cities, producing counterfeit credit cards and subsequently cashing out money from ATMs in non-European countries (such as Belize, Indonesia and Jamaica).  During the coordinated action dozens of ATMs were found to have had fraudulent equipment, such as skimming devices and micro cameras, installed. Over 1000 counterfeit credit cards were seized and evidence was collected for many fraudulent international transactions worth over EUR 50,000.  Since most of the illegal transactions with counterfeit cards took place overseas, cooperation through dedicated investigative networks set up by Europol was key to the success of the operation.

EAST supports Europol Strategic Payment Card Fraud Meeting

On 20-21 November 2017, Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3), with the support of EAST, hosted an international meeting with a specific focus on combating payment card fraud across Europe and beyond.

In its sixth occurrence since it was first organised in Singapore in 2015, this meeting was held for the first time at Europol’s headquarters in The Hague, bringing together representatives from 3 regions of the world: 8 EU Member States (Portugal, Greece, France, Denmark, Spain, Romania, Bulgaria and Italy), Latin America (Argentina, Dominican Republic, Chile, Colombia and AMERIPOL) and Asia (Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and ASEANAPOL).

The EAST presentation focused on combating payment card fraud from the perspective of the private sector – EAST Executive Director Lachlan Gunn gave an overview of EAST and presented the latest threats, criminal methodologies and crime and fraud statistics.  EAST Development Director Rui Carvalho, who chairs the EAST Payments Task Force (EPTF), covered the latest payment crime trends as reported at the 43rd EAST Meeting.

The latest European Central Bank Report estimates €1.44 billion losses in Payment card fraud in 2013 The overall losses were up 8%. Card Not Present (CNP) fraud has experienced significant increases in Europe in the last years and although Card Present Fraud (CP) within the EU decreased during the last years still remain significant as the EMV (chip and pin) protection has not yet been fully implemented. In fact, organised crime groups set up permanent bases in overseas locations where Chip is not implemented cashing out compromised European cards.

EAST has supported all the Europol Strategic Meetings on Payment Card Fraud held in the ASEAN and LATAM regions.

 

EAST presents at Europol Training on Payment Card Fraud Forensics

Payment Card FraudOn 29 June 2017 EAST Development Director Rui Carvalho presented at the third edition of the Europol Training Course on Payment Card Fraud Forensics and Investigations at the Spanish National Police Academy in Ávila, Spain. His talk gave an overview of EAST and covered ATM Crime and Transaction Fraud in Europe from the perspective of the private sector.

The Europol training, which ran from 26 to 30 June 2017,  focused on the forensic examination of skimming devices, payment card and ATM malware forensics, as well as investigative techniques to target criminal networks responsible for international payment fraud incidents.

The majority of participants were experts in forensically-examining skimming equipment and electronics, and  investigators in payment fraud. During the course, they took part in specific sessions that included card-not-present and card-present fraud modus operandi, trends and threats for investigators, as well as tools for payment card analysis. The course also provided common sessions, workshops and networking events with the private sector.

 

Europol helps to dismantle Payment Card Fraud network

A successful operation that took down an international payment card fraud network was carried out by the Public Prosecution Office at the Audiencia Nacional and National Police of Spain, and the General Directorate Combating Organized Crime in Bulgaria, with the support of Eurojust and Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3).

As a result of the cross-border action, 31 suspects were arrested (21 in Spain, 9 in Bulgaria and one in the Czech Republic) and 48 house searches (14 in Spain and 34 in Bulgaria) were carried out. The suspects were in possession of equipment used to forge payment cards, payment card data readers-recorders, skimmers, micro cameras, devices to manipulate ATMs, as well as cash and numerous counterfeit cards.

Between 2014 and 2017, the criminal network installed skimming devices on an average of 400 ATMs every year, to copy and clone the data contained on the bank cards. The forged cards were then used to make illegal transactions in 200 ATMs outside the European Union, mainly in the USA, the Dominican Republic, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Peru, the Philippines and Costa Rica. Approximately 3,000 EU citizens were affected by the criminal network, with losses of at least EUR 500,000.

For more information visit Europol’s website.

Third Strategic Meeting on Payment Card Fraud

3rd Strategic Meeting on Payment Card Fraud

EAST presented at the Third Strategic Meeting on Payment Card Fraud (PCF) at the Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA) in Bangkok, Thailand.

This event, which was organised by Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) on 13-14 December 2016, provided the law enforcement community with a comprehensive overview of payment card issues such as compromising payment card data, skimming, ATM cashing out, e-commerce and airline frauds. The event, which was co-organised with ASEANAPOL and INTERPOL with the support of the Romanian National Police and the Royal Thai Police, was hosted by the ETDA (public organisation), and the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society.

Thirty law enforcement officers from four EU Member States (Austria, France, Greece, and Romania) and their ASEAN counterparts (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand) participated in the two-day meeting. The private sector was represented by EAST, the Bank of Thailand, representatives from the Thai commercial banks and LiquidNexxus. The ThaiCERT – ETDA facilitated cooperation between the law enforcement community and the Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs).

EAST Executive Director Lachlan Gunn gave an overview of the European ATM Fraud situation and highlighted the issue of losses in the ASEAN region faced by European card issuers.

3rd Strategic PCF MeetingThe aim of the event was to discuss operational achievements in the area of combating cyber fraud and to agree on the steps to follow with regard to security of non-cash means of payment. It focused on the exchange of expertise in the area of prevention and combating ATM/POS fraud, data compromising, ATM malware, and eCommerce fraud. A specific action plan concerning further cross-regional cooperation between European and Asian law enforcement was devised, following recent successful operations between the two parties.

As a result of discussions at the event, and to strengthen inter-regional industry communication to combat terminal and payment security, EAST is in follow up communication with the banking sectors in Indonesia and Thailand.

In March 2016 EAST supported the Second Strategic Meeting on Payment Card Fraud which was held at the Royal Malaysian Police College in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  The meeting was hosted by Europol, INTERPOL and ASEANOPOL with the financial support of the Romanian authorities.

In November 2015 EAST supported the First Strategic Meeting on Payment Card Fraud which was held in the INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation (IGCI) and was co-hosted by Europol and INTERPOL with the financial support of the Romanian authorities.

In October 2015 EAST participated in a two-day meeting in Bogota (Colombia) to discuss payment card fraud overseas and money withdrawals in Latin America.

EAST Presents at 2nd Europol Training Course on Payment Card Fraud Forensics and Investigations

Europol PCF Course July 2016 - EASTÚna Dillon, EAST Development Director, presented at the 2nd Europol Training Course on Payment Card Fraud Forensics and Investigations which was held from 11th – 15th July 2016 at the National Spanish Police Academy, Ávila, Spain.

There was a full agenda over the week with work-streams for Forensic Experts and Investigators.

Organised by Jesús Ortega Orisch, Cybercrime Specialist at Europol, the event provided a mixed agenda including presentations from law enforcement agents, forensic experts and representatives from the private sector. There were several networking events organised to help build collaboration between all sectors.

The EAST presentation covered latest statistics from the EAST ATM Crime Report 2015, published in June this year, and details on new scams affecting both ATMs and Point of Sale terminals. Dillon spoke about the benefits of collaboration between private sector and law enforcement agencies. She was endorsed, during the session, by Grzegorz Mazurkiewicz from Europol who has played a key role in developing the excellent relationship between EAST and Europol.

Europol PCF Course July 2016 - Certificates

Those police officers and law enforcement agents representing countries from all over Europe, who were in attendance, were presented with a certificate on finalising their week of intense training.