The corona virus has not only changed the everyday life of righteous citizens - criminals are also looking for new ways. One area in particular offers them many points of attack.
Lyon (AP) - Interpol general secretary Jürgen Stock warns that criminals will take advantage of the development of an effective coronavirus drug.
The illegal trade in counterfeit products will increase if there is a drug in sight that promises healing or relief, said Stock of the German Press Agency. Something similar can already be seen with counterfeit medical products such as protective masks or disinfectants.
"There will be another big wave, a global wave, if we move forward on a vaccine," said the secretary general of the international police organization.
Global crime quickly adapted to the coronavirus pandemic, said Stock. "In the sense that it takes advantage of people's new fears, worries and needs to re-orientate themselves with regard to criminal activities." This also affects the healthcare system in particular - for example when disposing of contaminated hospital waste.
"We see that organized criminals in Asia are currently trying harder to penetrate this market. They are undercutting their prices, they are not complying with the relevant regulations and are trying to infiltrate the legitimate economy, so to speak." Stock believes that this practice could also become a problem in other parts of the world.
Interpol is based in Lyon, France and, with 194 member countries, is the most important police organization in the world. States use Interpol to exchange information on the people they are looking for and report developments in the area of organized crime.
Stock warned that criminals were now also using the coronavirus crisis for the so-called grandchildren's trick and, as alleged relatives, were trying to pull money out of old people's pockets. According to the Interpol boss, the worldwide travel and exit restrictions are generally not a major obstacle to crime.
Perpetrators "very often do not even have to move, but can simply use the Internet or the modern possibilities of telecommunications", warned Stock. In the area of drug-related crime, there are partial supply bottlenecks, for example in the case of substances required for the production of drugs - but only to a small extent, according to the Interpol general secretary.
According to Stock, criminals are now making even greater use of the Internet in the area of child sexual abuse. For example, because of travel restrictions, deeds would be streamed live. Interpol has set up a special group to follow up on these crimes. The topic also received great attention when working with the individual member states, stressed Stock.
According to the Secretary General, the police organization is currently paying particular attention to the area of cybercrime. He assumes that the numbers in this area will increase significantly. The fact that many people are working from home for now means that there are more opportunities, for example, to penetrate computers and get valuable data, Stock explained. Interpol has expert groups on cybersecurity and works closely with the private industry, the Secretary General said.
The pandemic could have a long-term impact on global crime, said Stock - the economic situation was decisive. If people lose their jobs because of the economic difficulties, it will also have an impact on crime, as Stock said. "People will find new sources of illegal income."