EU’s Operation Escape Room Exposes €140 Million Cross-Border VAT Fraud Network Across Six Countries

• Operation Escape Room uncovered a massive cross-border VAT fraud network involving hundreds of shell companies and forged documents.
• The investigation spanned 39 locations in six EU countries, resulting in eight arrests and five suspects under investigation in Austria.
• The fraud focused on high-value electronics and mobile communications, with financial damages including EUR 47 million in Belgium, EUR 14.5 million in the Netherlands, and nearly EUR 80 million in expected money-laundering losses.
• Substantial evidence was seized and is being analyzed by Austrian authorities and the European Investigation Team.
• The case highlights the scale of VAT fraud in the EU and the importance of international cooperation to combat such crimes.

Source: vatabout.com

Note that this post was (partially) written with the help of AI. It is always useful to review the original source material, and where needed to obtain (local) advice from a specialist.

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