The changing DNA of crime

Artificial Intelligence is turbocharging organised crime, but how exactly? In this episode of The Europol Podcast, we reveal how organised crime is accelerating as it becomes increasingly efficient, as harnessing AI allows criminal networks to better target more people, faster and more accurately. You will hear from law enforcement experts across the EU, all based at Europol HQ, about the latest trends in cybercrime: online child sexual exploitation and abuse material, ransomware, crime-as-a-service, and AI’s role as an enabler. Speakers: Andrei Linta, Deputy Executive Director of Capabilities at Europol. Edvardas Sileris, Head of the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) at Europol. Tamara Schotte, Head of Analysis & Strategic Coordination Unit at Europol. Marijn Schuurbiers, Head of Operations in the European Cybercrime Centre at Europol. Danny Van Althuis, Head of the Analysis Project Twins at Europol.

Online fraud is increasing in scale, diversity and sophistication, at a pace we have never seen before. From investment fraud to cyberattacks, to get people’s money and data, to the laundering of this criminal money via cryptocurrencies, the entire life cycle of crime takes place online. The Internet is the criminal theatre of today, as almost all serious and organised crime has a digital footprint. In this instalment of The Europol Podcast, we uncover the digital criminal underworld to find out how crime is nurtured online.Speakers Burkhard Mühl, Head of the European Financial and Economic Crime Centre (EFECC) at Europol. Tamara Schotte, Head of Analysis & Strategic Coordination Unit at Europol. Marijn Schuurbiers, Head of Operations in the European Cybercrime Centre at Europol. Sebastian Bley, Head of the Serious Fraud team at Europol.

Serious and organised crime is not just a threat to public safety; it impacts the very foundations of the EU and its society. It has a double destabilising effect on the EU. It undermines the EU’s economy, rule of law and society by generating illicit proceeds, spreading violence, and normalising corruption.But the threat does not stop there: increasingly, criminal networks serve as proxies for hybrid threat actors, exploiting vulnerabilities to destabilise the EU and its Member States from within. Drugs, firearms trafficking, hybrid threats and organised criminal networks recruiting young people to carry out acts of violence, including contract killings. These are a few examples which we will explore in this episode, to find out how serious and organised crime is destabilising the EU.

The battle against serious and organised crime is no longer fought in the streets, but in cyberspace, in artificial intelligence labs, dark-web markets, and the shadows of geopolitics. The very DNA of organised crime is changing. It is growing, evolving and becoming more dangerous.In this episode, you'll learn about the transformation of organised crime, as identified in Europol's flagship report, the EU Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment (EU-SOCTA). You'll hear how the EU is responding to those new threats both strategically and operationally.This is the first episode of season 3 of The Europol Podcast. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred platform and follow Europol on social media to be notified when future episodes are released.

This season, we shine a light on the changing DNA of serious and organised crime. We will explore the biggest threats facing our internal security, revealing Europol’s analysis, the biggest operations we have supported, and how we continue to fight crime. Tune in to find out how criminal networks are adapting to new technologies, as told by law enforcement experts that take decisive action against criminal networks worldwide.

This bonus episode of The Europol Podcast marks the Agency’s 25th anniversary and was recorded during a panel discussion held at Europol HQ. What has changed in the law enforcement landscape since Europol started out as the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation? In this episode, we take you on a journey through Europol’s history, from 1999 – today, as told by those at the helm of the organisation. You will hear from Jürgen Storbeck, Max-Peter Ratzel, Sir Rob Wainwright and our Executive Director Catherine De Bolle, on the biggest cases of their time, and how Europol became the nerve centre of criminal intelligence that it is today.

Most episodes of this podcast talk about cases. We’ve spoken about taking down terrorist propaganda, thwarting cybercrime operations, intercepting ton after ton of drug shipments, and all kinds of other high-stakes, global, police operations. But behind all these cases is weeks and months of analysis, research, and innovation. At Europol HQ, there are entire departments dedicated solely to finding trends and innovations that will make investigations more effective. This is one of Europol’s core services to police in the EU Member States – providing a platform for innovation, technological research, and the sharing of methods and data. In this episode, we will look at some of the innovations that have been happening at Europol in recent years, and how these have translated into real, operational results. Speakers:Julia, Head of the Operational Analysis Centre, EuropolDanny, Investigator at EuropolCatherine De Bolle, Executive Director of EuropolLinks:EU Most Wanted: https://eumostwanted.eu/Trace an Object: https://www.europol.europa.eu/stopchildabuseTrace an Object Australia: https://www.accce.gov.au/what-we-do/trace-an-objectFBI Endangered Child Alert Programme: https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/ecap

Technology is changing the way terrorists think and how they plan their attacks. One emerging threat is the world of 3D-printed weapons. 3D-printed weapons are fully-functioning firearms, made using 3D-printing technology that is available to civilians and can be used at home.In this episode of The Europol Podcast, we shed light on how terrorists are exploiting this technology, and what Europol and our partners are doing to keep Europe safe. 

High-risk individual criminals pose some of the biggest threats to Europe’s security. Three leaders of the Kinahan Cartel, a dangerous transnational criminal organisation, were designated as High Value Targets by Europol, with the United States Department of State putting out a reward for their arrest. In this episode of The Europol Podcast, Europol and the An Garda Síochána will give you a behind-the-scenes look at how we take action against international fugitives, in this case the Kinahan Cartel.

Economic and financial crime is becoming more complex. Law enforcement are responding in kind by investing in asset recovery; the practice of finding and seizing cash and assets gained through criminal activities. In this instalment of The Europol Podcast, we go behind a case that saw the French Gendarmerie team up with Europol in a massive international fraud case.