The side event organised today by the Cybercrime Programme Office of the Council of Europe at the Global Fraud Summit in Vienna highlighted the operational perspective of tackling online scams, stressing the critical importance of initiating investigative measures within the first 72 hours to secure evidence and trace illicit flows. Furthermore, it underscored that combating fraud is a shared responsibility among public authorities, law enforcement, and the private sector, particularly financial institutions, which must act proactively to detect and prevent suspicious fraud activities. The discussion also emphasised the value of the Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention) as a key framework offering substantive provisions, procedural powers, and international cooperation mechanism, which are essential given the transnational nature of online fraud and the need to access data across jurisdictions. Finally, the Council of Europe reaffirmed its commitment to capacity building by providing tailored support to countries through training, platforms for dialogue, and practical resources such as guides and standard operating procedures to strengthen national responses.
The side event benefited of the contribution of representatives of Romanian National Police, Attorney General Office of Thailand and expert of North Macedonia.
The Council of Europe gratefully acknowledges voluntary contributions to the Octopus Project supporting countries worldwide in implementation of the Budapest Convention and capacity building on cybercrime and e-evidence.
Cybercrime Programme Officeof the Council of Europe (C-PROC)
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