Europol has warned that organised crime gangs are increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence to scale up scams and payment systems, making their operations more global, cost-efficient, and difficult to detect.
According to the report, these advancements enable criminal networks to craft multilingual messages and generate highly realistic impersonations to defraud and blackmail targets in global cyberfraud operations. Europol also highlighted a disturbing trend in which generative AI is being misused to produce child sexual abuse material.
“The very DNA of organised crime is changing,” said Catherine De Bolle, Europol’s executive director. “Criminal networks have evolved into global, technology-driven enterprises, exploiting digital platforms, illicit financial flows, and geopolitical instability to expand their influence.”
The report cautioned that the emergence of fully autonomous AI systems—capable of planning and executing tasks without human oversight—could usher in an era of entirely AI-controlled criminal networks, marking a significant escalation in organised crime.
Europol’s findings come on the heels of recent law enforcement actions, including the arrest of two dozen individuals for distributing AI-generated child abuse images in late February, and the dismantling of MATRIX, an encrypted messaging service used in international drug and arms trafficking, in early December. The agency also identified cyber attacks, migrant smuggling, drug and firearms trafficking, and waste management wrongdoing as some of the fastest growing criminal threats on the continent.
As AI technology continues to evolve, Europol’s warning underscores the urgent need for global cooperation and robust legislative frameworks to counter the mounting risks posed by AI-enabled criminal activities.
OpenAI has unveiled a new option called Flex processing, an API service designed to provide more affordable AI model usage in exchange for slower response times and occasional resource unavailability.
China is set to embed artificial intelligence (AI) into its entire education system from primary to higher education as part of a national effort to modernize learning, boost innovation, and build a skilled, future-ready workforce.
Nvidia has announced it expects a $5.5 billion financial impact after new US government export restrictions barred it from selling its advanced H20 AI chips to China without a license.
The Head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Kyrgyzstan, Temir Sariev, met with a Russian company planning to introduce artificial intelligence technologies into the country's healthcare system, with a $20 million investment already committed.
Japan is investing 802.5 billion yen ($5.4 billion) in Rapidus, a chip startup, aiming to reduce reliance on foreign chipmakers and enhance semiconductor production. The move comes amid rising tensions between the U.S. and China, emphasizing Japan’s focus on securing its chip supply chain
A mob attack on an Ahmadi place of worship in Karachi has left one man dead, highlighting ongoing persecution of the minority group.
A Russian court has sentenced 19-year-old Darya Kozyreva to nearly three years in prison for protesting the war in Ukraine using poetry and graffiti.
The new U.S. ambassador to Japan has called for closer military coordination with Tokyo, framing the alliance as crucial amid rising regional tensions and ongoing trade disputes.
Students in Serbia have rallied outside a police station as Belgrade University’s rector is questioned over support for anti-government protests.
OpenAI has unveiled a new option called Flex processing, an API service designed to provide more affordable AI model usage in exchange for slower response times and occasional resource unavailability.
The Russian ruble has emerged as the top-performing currency globally in 2025, registering an impressive 38% appreciation against the US dollar since the beginning of the year, according to a report by Bloomberg.
A small plane crashed near Kopake, New York, on April 13, killing at 6 people. The Mitsubishi MU-2B aircraft, carrying six people, went down under unclear circumstances. This marks the second aviation accident in New York in a week, raising safety concerns.
Several regions in Ukraine faced heightened alert on Palm Sunday, as reports of explosions and missile threats drew public attention and official responses.
Severe rainfall on April 17 led to flooding and landslides in the Piedmont region, prompting a large-scale emergency response from over 400 firefighters.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for April 16th, covering the latest developments you need to know.
A mob attack on an Ahmadi place of worship in Karachi has left one man dead, highlighting ongoing persecution of the minority group.
A Russian court has sentenced 19-year-old Darya Kozyreva to nearly three years in prison for protesting the war in Ukraine using poetry and graffiti.
The new U.S. ambassador to Japan has called for closer military coordination with Tokyo, framing the alliance as crucial amid rising regional tensions and ongoing trade disputes.
Students in Serbia have rallied outside a police station as Belgrade University’s rector is questioned over support for anti-government protests.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov extended Moscow’s support for the ongoing indirect nuclear talks between the United States and Iran, offering to mediate or assist in any way that would be beneficial to Tehran and acceptable to Washington.
A mob attack on an Ahmadi place of worship in Karachi has left one man dead, highlighting ongoing persecution of the minority group.
A Russian court has sentenced 19-year-old Darya Kozyreva to nearly three years in prison for protesting the war in Ukraine using poetry and graffiti.
The new U.S. ambassador to Japan has called for closer military coordination with Tokyo, framing the alliance as crucial amid rising regional tensions and ongoing trade disputes.
Students in Serbia have rallied outside a police station as Belgrade University’s rector is questioned over support for anti-government protests.
OpenAI has unveiled a new option called Flex processing, an API service designed to provide more affordable AI model usage in exchange for slower response times and occasional resource unavailability.
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