Cyberspace as a New Battleground for Civil Society in Europe
Introduction
Europe is facing a rapidly escalating epidemic of digital fraud. Organised criminal groups, leveraging automation, artificial intelligence (AI), cross-border payment networks and global advertising platforms, have built an industry generating billions in illicit profits at the expense of citizens – especially older people and communities with low levels of digital literacy.
Civil Society News Network (CSNN) presents a comprehensive analysis of the foundations of this crisis, its social consequences, and the challenges it poses to democracy and human rights across the continent.
From Isolated Incidents to a European Social Crisis
Online fraud has become one of the most dynamic and profitable sectors of contemporary crime. Cases such as the fake advertisement impersonating the Polish portal Onet – created by a group operating from another continent – show that criminals no longer need to break into IT systems. It is often enough to buy ad space through automated global platforms.
What once appeared to be a collection of isolated incidents has acquired a structural character. At scale:
- news portals are cloned,
- the images of celebrities and TV presenters are misused without consent,
- specialised “social engineering factories” are set up in Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe,
- advertisements pass through automated approval systems,
- users are redirected to fraudulent “investment platforms” designed solely to capture savings.
This is not a chaotic series of events but a carefully designed, industrialised criminal infrastructure.
Billions in Losses, Millions of Victims
Data from Europol, Interpol, ENISA and organisations such as the World Economic Forum indicate that online fraud now generates the largest revenues among all forms of cybercrime. In 2023 alone, global losses exceeded one trillion US dollars. Within the overall crime landscape in Europe, fraud already accounts for more than 40 per cent of recorded offences.
Older people are particularly affected. Estimates show that seniors lose on average around GBP 4,000 in a single successful fraud campaign. In the United Kingdom alone, 1.9 million people over the age of 65 have been victims of scams. At the same time, 4.9 million people over 50 report that they are afraid to answer the phone because of fraud attempts.
This is no longer merely a criminal law issue. It has become a systemic, social and demographic phenomenon, undermining the sense of security, eroding trust in institutions and lowering the quality of life for entire age groups.
The Digital Divide and the Structural Vulnerability of Seniors
Eurostat data reveal a deep digital divide in Europe. Only about one quarter of citizens aged 65–74 possess basic digital skills. Women in this age group are particularly at risk – only one in four can manage simple online tasks.
A lack of digital competence translates into difficulties in using e-public services, e-health systems and electronic benefit platforms. It also dramatically increases vulnerability to manipulation.
Lower digital awareness directly correlates with a higher likelihood of becoming a victim. Older people are far more likely to:
- click on investment advertisements without verification,
- open suspicious emails,
- fail to assess the credibility of domains and security certificates.
This is often accompanied by fear of online banking and a sense of shame after becoming a victim. In practice, this combination gives criminals a clear, structural advantage over the most vulnerable participants in digital life.
The Professionalisation of Crime: Artificial Intelligence and “Crime as a Service”
Another dimension of this crisis is the ongoing professionalisation of criminal activity. New fraud models are built around a full spectrum of services operating in an “as-a-service” model.
Phishing-as-a-service enables criminals to easily imitate bank websites, streaming platforms and news portals using ready-made toolkits. Phishing campaigns are generated algorithmically with the help of AI, tailored linguistically to the target country, demographic segment and current events.
Deepfake-based techniques – both audio and video – are increasingly used to impersonate relatives, executives or financial advisers, significantly enhancing the credibility of scams. At the same time, the market for subscription-based malware, such as DarkGate 2.0, allows criminals to conduct sophisticated campaigns without advanced technical expertise.
Advertising platforms, reliant on automated content approval, become powerful vectors for these operations, enabling fraudulent campaigns to reach millions of users. Europol describes this segment as the most rapidly expanding area of contemporary crime.
Human Trafficking and “Scam Centres”: A New Face of Exploitation
Particularly alarming are Interpol’s findings regarding the links between online fraud and human trafficking. Victims from dozens of countries are lured by fake job offers and transported to fraud centres, mainly in Southeast Asia, where they are forced to work in call centres and operate fraud campaigns.
It is estimated that more than two thirds of “employees” in such scam call centres are foreign nationals.
Online fraud is thus no longer merely an economic crime. It has become a branch of modern slavery, directly connected to:
- the violation of the right to liberty and personal security,
- forced labour,
- the exploitation of migrants and vulnerable workers.
This represents a new and particularly dangerous axis along which cybercrime, organised crime and global labour markets intersect.
Systemic Gaps in Platforms and Financial Institutions
A critical component of the problem lies in systemic weaknesses within digital platforms and financial institutions. A key factor is the automated approval of advertisements by major players in the digital advertising market, including campaigns mimicking news articles or expert materials.
The absence of robust verification of landing pages enables:
- fake investment portals,
- cloned news sites,
- websites impersonating banks
to gain a veneer of legitimacy via their presence on major advertising and social media platforms.
Simultaneously, weak “know your customer” (KYC) procedures in parts of the banking and fintech sectors, combined with an absence of systemic victim support, mean that many individuals never recover their funds. In numerous cases, banks limit their response to stating that a transaction was “authorised”, shifting full responsibility to the client.
Operations such as Europol’s Chargeback, which exposed millions of fake subscriptions and hundreds of millions of euros in attempted fraud, demonstrate how long irregularities in payment systems can remain undetected or ignored.
CSNN Recommendations: Education, Regulation, Responsibility
From a civil society perspective, this situation requires a determined, multidimensional response.
Digital education must become a priority of public policy. This includes:
- dedicated programmes for seniors and people at risk of exclusion,
- the integration of cyber-safety and media literacy into school curricula.
Citizens need to understand how to recognise fraud, verify information sources and use financial services securely.
At the same time, the responsibility of digital platforms must be significantly strengthened. Necessary measures include:
- manual verification of investment and high-risk financial advertisements,
- mandatory checks of domain authenticity for landing pages,
- a ban on styling advertisements as editorial content without clear and prominent labelling.
Platforms that profit from distributing content should share responsibility for the consequences, especially when vulnerable groups are affected.
The financial sector must likewise move away from an approach in which the entire burden is placed on the victim. Essential steps include:
- compensation mechanisms in cases of proven fraud,
- active monitoring of unusual transaction patterns,
- close cooperation with law enforcement authorities and regulators.
At the international level, deeper cooperation is required between institutions such as Europol and Interpol, civil society organisations and independent media. Dismantling scam centres, tracking financial flows, identifying emerging fraud patterns and sharing threat intelligence should become a standing item on the transnational security and human rights agenda.
Conclusion
Civil Society News Network holds that cyberspace has become one of the key battlegrounds for the integrity of civil society in Europe. The answer to the rising wave of fraud cannot be limited to tougher criminal penalties alone.
What is needed in parallel is:
- education,
- responsible and enforceable regulation,
- real, practical solidarity with victims.
In the digital age, vigilance and information literacy are no longer optional skills – they are among the core duties of modern citizenship.
