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FRAUD

Breakthrough in Malmö skimming scandal

The number of credit cards hijacked at petrol stations in Malmö continues to grow, but investigators believe they are on the verge of a breakthrough in the case.

Thus far, police have received more than 200 reports of skimmed cards. The fraudsters have been able to steal a total of more than 1.5 million kronor ($190,000).

However, two men were arrested in Hungary last week with 108 fake credit cards in their possession. Several of the card numbers tally with the skimming cases being investigated by Malmö police, the police said in a statement.

According to police, ATM withdrawals with the hijacked cards have been made all over the world, including in the US, Trinidad and the Philippines. Some withdrawals were also made in Malmö.

The investigation is proceeding in cooperation with Europol.

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GERMANY

Germany cracks down on fake Covid vaccine documents

German police have set up a special team to fight a growing number of forged vaccine certificates being sold in the black market

Germany cracks down on fake Covid vaccine documents
People who are fully vaccinated can show their vaccination booklet, which has a stamp and a sticker inside. Photo: Ina FASSBENDER / AFP

Police in Cologne have warned of a group of fraudsters selling fake vaccination certificates, a growing problem the scale of which is still unclear.

The police said the fraudsters worked in encrypted Telegram chats, making investigations difficult, and were selling fake documents with all the stamps and signatures, including a mark about vaccination with BioNTech or AstraZeneca.

READ ALSO: Germany probes Covid-19 testing centres for fraud

The fraud involved both real traffic in fake documents as well as scams luring customers into paying €100.

People in Germany who are fully vaccinated can show their vaccination booklet, which has a stamp and a sticker inside. Those who don’t have a booklet get a piece of paper.

Covid health passes are currently being rolled out across the EU, with a European health passport expected to be available from mid-June.

READ ALSO: What’s the latest on how the EU’s ‘Covid passports’ will work for travellers?

Over 44% of the adult population in Germany has received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, and more than 18% of Germans have been fully vaccinated.

German police have said forged coronavirus vaccine documents are becoming an increasing problem.

Last month, a couple in Baden-Württemberg was accused of selling fake coronavirus vaccination certificates.

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