New age of cybercrime: Live child rapes, sextortion, and advanced malware

The rape-to-order of children online, the hacking of customs to hide illegal drugs shipments, cloned cards stealing €45m in two hours — the new world of clever crime is outlined in the first report of the EU’s cybercrime centre.

Most of these crimes are beyond the reach of a traditional police force as there is no DNA or physical clues to the culprits, warned Troels Oerting, the head of EC3.

Tracking down such criminals requires “white hackers” and could cost countries such as Ireland, in which many internet companies are based, a disproportionate amount of money in future, he said.