If you tried to run a fake, malware-laden website in a Western country you would eventually be shut down and prosecuted.
These scams mostly fester in nations with weaker institutions, not just Eastern Europe but also China and India. Their authorities are simply not interested in preventing this kind of unlawful activity.
I don't know if they catch small fish as in this example, it just isn't in the news. The bigger fish happens to be in the news, like shutting down international scam call center - 2 in LV, 1 in LT. Video from police cam if anyone wants to see smashing windows: https://www.vp.gov.lv/lv/jaunums/verieniga-starptautiska-ope...
We are also being educated in many places including schools, government institutions, posters, jobs etc about the risks, about how scammers work and stuff like that.
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2021/05/try-this-one-weird-trick...
> In Russia, for example, authorities there generally will not initiate a cybercrime investigation against one of their own unless a company or individual within the country’s borders files an official complaint as a victim.
Okay, the term is used in geographical context and not geopolitical.
International cooperation for mutual profit.