Europol’s IOCTA 2026 report warns of a fast-moving cybercrime landscape where AI-driven fraud, cybercrime-as-a-service, and encryption are industrialising attacks and outpacing law enforcement

The report underscores that online fraud now represents one of the most dominant threats, with criminals exploiting artificial intelligence to create more convincing scams, while ransomware continues to expand through “as-a-service” models and multi-layered extortion tactics. It also stresses the central role of encrypted communications, dark web marketplaces, and cryptocurrencies in facilitating illicit operations and laundering proceeds, alongside the growing challenge for law enforcement posed by jurisdictional fragmentation and rapidly adapting…