Current:Home > MarketsInterpol and FBI break up a cyber scheme in Moldova to get asylum for wanted criminals -Prosperity Pathways
Interpol and FBI break up a cyber scheme in Moldova to get asylum for wanted criminals
View
Date:2025-04-27 20:51:39
PARIS (AP) — A multinational operation by Interpol and the FBI cracked down on attempts in Moldova to sabotage one of the international police agency’s key tools, the Red Notice system, officials said Tuesday. Four people were detained in the eastern European country.
The joint sting, which also involved cooperation with French and British authorities, uncovered an international criminal organization with ties to individuals in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus suspected of cybercrime, Moldova’s anticorruption chief said.
The suspected individuals “paid intermediaries and public figures in Moldova to inform wanted criminals of (their) Red Notice status,” Veronica Dragalin, the anticorruption chief, told reporter.
The notice flags people deemed fugitives to law enforcement worldwide and is one of Interpol’s most important tools. The investigation led to the detention of four people for 72 hours on suspicion of interfering with the notices, Dragalin said.
The scheme sought to have people subject to Red Notices “obtain asylum or refugee status” in Moldova and other countries “with the aim of blocking and deleting” the notices by bribing public officials, she added.
The sums of money involved, she said, amount to several million dollars (euros).
Interpol said the operation by the international policing agency, headquartered in Lyon, France, followed the detection of attempts to “block and delete” the notices, which flag people deemed fugitives to law enforcement worldwide.
Moldova opened an investigation on April 2, after receiving information from France’s National Financial Prosecutor’s Office, and subsequently requested the assistance of the FBI.
“We are committed to fighting high-level corruption in all of its forms, particularly those schemes that put in jeopardy criminal investigations worldwide,” Dragalin said.
A statement from Interpol said the agency has taken steps to prevent further “misuse of its systems.”
“Our robust monitoring systems identified suspicious activity,” said Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock. “We took immediate action, including reporting the issue to law enforcement authorities in our host country France.”
Stock highlighting the vast number of individuals subject to Red Notices — over 70,000 people — but did not elaborate on the attempted sabotage.
When reached by The Associated Press, Interpol said because it was a Moldovan-French probe, it would not be appropriate for the agency to elaborate on an ongoing investigation.
___
McGrath reported from Sighisoara, Romania.
veryGood! (772)
Related
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- A top Chinese ride-hailing company delists from the NYSE just months after its IPO
- Sudan fighting brings huge biological risk as lab holding samples of deadly diseases occupied, WHO warns
- Architect behind Googleplex now says it's 'dangerous' to work at such a posh office
- Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
- Send in the clones: Using artificial intelligence to digitally replicate human voices
- Still looking for that picture book you loved as a kid? Try asking Instagram
- Sleep Week 2023 Deals: Mattresses, Bedding, Furniture and More
- Have Dry, Sensitive Skin? You Need To Add These Gentle Skincare Products to Your Routine
- See Florence Pugh, Vanessa Hudgens and More Stars' Must-See Outfit Changes for Oscars 2023 After-Parties
Ranking
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- Stylist Law Roach Calls Out Lies and False Narratives in Apparent Retirement Announcement
- Moonbin, member of K-pop group Astro, dies at age 25
- Jurors to weigh Elizabeth Holmes' fate after a 15-week fraud trial
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- Another U.S. evacuation attempt from Sudan wouldn't be safe, top U.S. official says
- American woman arrested with 24-carat gold-plated gun in luggage at Australian airport
- Review: 'Horizon Forbidden West' brings a personal saga to a primal post-apocalypse
Recommendation
'Most Whopper
Netflix is making a feature film about the Thanksgiving grandma text mix-up
How subsidies helped Montreal become the Hollywood of video games
Transcript: Sen. Chris Coons on Face the Nation, April 23, 2023
From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
Debt collectors can now text, email and DM you on social media
Criminal hackers are now going after phone lines, too
Cars are getting better at driving themselves, but you still can't sit back and nap