Press release no. 11/2026
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The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) has played an important role in supporting the operation code-named Coal of the Alps (Carbone delle Alpi), which uncovered a complex cross-border scheme involving systemic circumvention of EU’s waste legislation. The case exposed a sophisticated criminal network active in Italy, Austria, Germany, Croatia, Serbia and Switzerland. It was led by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Trento, and coordinated by the District Anti-Mafia and Anti-Terrorism Directorate and in close cooperation with Carabinieri – in particular Nucleo Operativo Ecologico di Trento, other Italian authorities, Europol, Eurojust and national authorities across Member States.
OLAF’s analytical work and information-sharing were instrumental in mapping cross-border flows of pyro-gasification ashes and derived products. These were placed on the EU…
Identity theft is the “foundational” fraud upon which many other crimes are built. It involves the unauthorized acquisition and use of a person’s personal identifying information (PII), such as an ID number, Social Security number, or passport details.
- How it works: Fraudsters obtain PII through data breaches, mail theft, or “social engineering” (tricking people into revealing details). Once they have this data, they can open new bank accounts, apply for credit cards or loans, and even receive medical treatment under your name.
- Synthetic Identity Fraud: A sophisticated variation where criminals combine real and fabricated information to create a completely new, “synthetic” person. This is particularly difficult to detect because there is no single victim to report the suspicious activity initially.