Generative AI lowering barrier to digital crime: Europol

Organized crime groups are becoming more sophisticated and dangerous thanks to technological developments such as generative AI which is reducing the barrier to entry for digital crimes – including identity theft, according to a new report from Europol.

Criminals are using generative AI to create realistic synthetic media, such as AI-powered voice cloning and live video deepfakes. These tools are easily accessible and do not require high technical skills. Yet, they are driving new forms of fraud, extortion and identity theft, the pan-European law enforcement agency writes in the  EU Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment (EU-SOCTA) 2025 published on Tuesday.

“Criminal networks have evolved into global, technology-driven criminal enterprises, exploiting digital platforms, illicit financial flows and geopolitical instability to expand their influence,” says Europol’s Executive Director Catherine De Bolle.

Aside from faking voices and faces, GenAI models are also allowing criminals to craft messages in multiple languages, create sophisticated malware and even produce child sexual abuse material (CSAM), the report notes. The result is increased sophistication in many types of crime, including cyber attacks, online fraud, migrant smuggling, drug and firearms trafficking and more.

Online fraud schemes such as business email compromise (BEC), for instance, have become prolific and often include well-falsified documents such as invoices. Deepfake technologies are used in CEO fraud, in which a fraudster impersonates the head of an organization to gain access to funds. AI tools such as voice cloning and deepfakes are also expected to boost the number of romance scams in which a criminal uses a fake online identity to gain a victim’s trust.

Another opportunity for digital crime comes from digitalization. As the digitalization of subsidies and benefits accelerates, manipulating applications and documents with AI is becoming more accessible. The digitalization of payment systems is also presenting new opportunities for criminal networks and will require constant security and regulatory updates, says Europol.

Smuggling networks are also benefiting from the generative AI boom. While government corruption presents a major source of false documents, tools can now be used to create fake IDs and false documentation quickly and cheaply. Europol also notes that social media and messaging apps are being used to circulate pictures of travel and identity documents and the personal data of possible victims of trafficking.

“Breaking this new criminal code means dismantling the systems that allow these networks to thrive – targeting their finances, disrupting their supply chains and staying ahead of their use of technology,” says De Bolle.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  deepfakes  |  Europol  |  financial crime  |  generative AI  |  identity theft  |  law enforcement  |  synthetic identity fraud  |  synthetic voice