Coronavirus scams expose weak cross-border policing

EU Commissioner urges better co-operation to combat cybercrime

In an interview with the Financial Times, EU Commissioner Ylva Johansson draws attention to the wave of scams involving masks and other medical equipment as a result of the pandemic. Organised crime groups have been ‘extremely quick to adapt’, she says, exploiting fears among people and authorities; cross-border crime ‘was everywhere’. The commissioner urges progress on the sharing of electronic evidence between EU member states, to combat both cybercrime and online child sexual abuse. The newspaper points out the EU has struggled to enact pan-EU security cooperation measures because of member states concerns over sovereignty and data privacy. Read more (£)