The Los Angeles Post
U.S. World Business Lifestyle
Today: April 17, 2025
Today: April 17, 2025

Europol warns of AI-driven crime threats

FILE PHOTO: Hooded man holds laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration picture
March 18, 2025
Reuters - Reuters

(Reuters) - Organised crime gangs are turning to AI-powered scams and payment systems to target victims, allowing them to rapidly and more cheaply scale up operations globally and making them harder to detect, Europol warned on Tuesday.

The technology means they can craft messages in multiple languages and create highly realistic dupes to impersonate individuals and blackmail targets in global cyberfraud operations, the law enforcement agency of the EU said in its European Serious Organised Crime Threat Assessment report.

Criminals are also using generative artificial intelligence to produce child sexual abuse material, it said.

"The very DNA of organised crime is changing. Criminal networks have evolved into global, technology-driven criminal enterprises, exploiting digital platforms, illicit financial flows, and geopolitical instability to expand their influence," Catherine De Bolle, Europolโ€™s executive director, said.

The agency said elements of every criminal process were increasingly moving online, including recruitment, communication and payment systems.

"The same qualities that make AI revolutionary - accessibility, adaptability, and sophistication - also make it a powerful tool for criminal networks," Europol said.

"These technologies are automating and expanding criminal operations, making them more scalable and harder to detect."

The report warned that the emergence of fully autonomous AI, in which systems plan and execute tasks without human guidance, "could pave the way for entirely AI-controlled criminal networks, marking a new era in organised crime".

In late February, Europol announced the arrest of two dozen people for distributing AI-generated child abuse images.

The operation was one of the first involving AI-generated child abuse material, Europol said at the time, adding there was a lack of national legislation surrounding the use of AI tools for this purpose.

In early December, it said it had taken down an encrypted messaging service MATRIX that was used for international drug and arms trafficking.

Europol on Tuesday listed cyber attacks, migrant smuggling, drug and firearms trafficking and wrongdoing in waste management among the fastest growing criminal threats on the continent.

(Reporting by Michal Aleksandrowicz; Editing by Alison Williams)

Related Articles

Cyberattacks are on the rise, and they're costing us billions of dollars Kremlin says a Russian citizen will be returned within days from the U.S US to release Russian Alexander Vinnik as part of exchange that freed Fogel - New York Times International law enforcement operation targets group of cybercrime websites
Share This

Popular

Crime|Europe|Political|World

Mass drone attack kills three, injures at least 30 in Ukraine's Dnipro, governor says

Mass drone attack kills three, injures at least 30 in Ukraine's Dnipro, governor says
Business|Crime|Election|Political|US

San Francisco's new mayor is starting to unite the fractured city

San Francisco's new mayor is starting to unite the fractured city
Crime|Political|US

Arson attack probe at Pennsylvania governor's mansion looking into suspect's hatred of Josh Shapiro

Arson attack probe at Pennsylvania governor's mansion looking into suspect's hatred of Josh Shapiro
Crime|Political|US

+OUT+ Protestors stun-gunned by law enforcement at Marjorie Taylor Greene town hall

+OUT+ Protestors stun-gunned by law enforcement at Marjorie Taylor Greene town hall

Technology

Business|Europe|Political|Technology|US

OpenAI's $500 billion Stargate venture weighs future UK investment, FT reports

OpenAI's $500 billion Stargate venture weighs future UK investment, FT reports
Asia|Business|Economy|Finance|Stock Markets|Technology|US

Stocks, dollar drift as US-Japan trade talks in focus

Stocks, dollar drift as US-Japan trade talks in focus
Asia|Business|Economy|Technology|World

Tech giants Tencent and Douyin to help China's exporters pivot to domestic market

Tech giants Tencent and Douyin to help China's exporters pivot to domestic market
Business|Economy|Political|Technology|US

Judge says labor unions' lawsuit over DOGE access to Labor Department systems can move forward

Judge says labor unions' lawsuit over DOGE access to Labor Department systems can move forward

Access this article for free.

Already have an account? Sign In