German prosecutors have filed charges against nine individuals in connection with "Operation Chargeback," a massive $350 million fraud and money laundering scheme. This development, reported on July 6, 2026, follows a widespread investigation into activities that allegedly utilized payment service providers to facilitate fraudulent online subscriptions for fake porn and dating sites.
The indictment, spanning approximately 2,400 pages, names several prominent figures. Among the accused are Mirko Hüllemann, the former CEO of Unzer, and Brigitte Häuser-Axtner, a former manager at Wirecard AG. Additionally, consultant Ruben Weigand, who had previously connected payment companies like Wirecard and Payone (now part of Worldline SA) to clients including pornography and dating websites, is also facing charges. Weigand was arrested by the FBI in March 2020 during a layover in Los Angeles.
The fraudulent activities involved stealing credit card details from an estimated 4.3 million people across 193 countries, often through phishing. The perpetrators then created recurring subscriptions for the bogus services, accumulating over $300 million in damages. Officials stated that former employees of four major German payment providers were aware of, and in some cases, cooperated with the fraudsters. Unzer and Nexi, although not explicitly named by authorities initially, were identified by sources as being among the implicated firms. Both companies stated they terminated dealings with the questionable businesses in 2021.
This case deals another blow to the reputation of Germany's financial sector, coming five years after the collapse of Wirecard due to a fraud scandal. The prosecutor, Harald Kruse, emphasized the severity of the proceedings, noting that the accused collaborated with major German service providers, thus compromising a part of the nation's financial sector. The investigation, which led to 18 arrests in November 2025 across multiple countries including Germany, Italy, Canada, and the U.S., highlights the increasingly global, digital, and collaborative nature of financial crime.
