Interpol Purple Notice
The Purple Notice of Interpol is a powerful tool for criminal prosecution, designed for the exchange of information about new methods of crimes, hidden schemes, technologies, and means used by criminals. If you, your business, or clients have encountered such a notice — it is important to act quickly, accurately, and professionally.
Our legal team provides expert assistance with matters related to Purple Notices. We conduct an analysis of the notice and related materials, represent clients’ interests before national and international authorities, protect your rights and business reputation, advise on intellectual property protection if the technology may have been used unlawfully, and provide legal support during investigations and Interpol inquiries. We ensure complete confidentiality and strategic legal support at all stages.
What is a Purple Notice of Interpol?
Purple Notice is one of the specialized types of notices that Interpol issues for the exchange of important operational information between member countries. Unlike the Red Notice, aimed at search and arrest, the Purple Notice has a different purpose: to warn law enforcement agencies of other states about new and unconventional methods of committing crimes.
The information contained in the purple notice may be restricted for public access, especially if it concerns methods used by terrorist groups or transnational organized crime. Such notices are available to law enforcement agencies of all INTERPOL member states through the secure I-24/7 database.
It is not uncommon for legal business models, new IT solutions, or devices used without malicious intent to fall under the description provided in the purple notification. Therefore, it is important for companies operating in innovative fields to understand the risks:
- To be unintentionally involved in an international investigation;
- To become the object of increased attention from financial or export control;
- Encounter limitations when transporting goods or technologies.
A purple notice is not a legal warrant or a basis for criminal prosecution. It is informational and analytical in nature but may influence the course of criminal cases and investigations if the methods described in it are connected to a specific case.
The purpose of the purple notification
The purple notice is used to exchange information about methods, means, and techniques of committing crimes, especially those that are new, unusual, or pose a transnational threat. It focuses on the technical aspects of criminal activity.
His main task is to inform law enforcement agencies of different countries about the new tactics used by criminals: smuggling methods, modified weapons, fake documents, hidden compartments in vehicles, unconventional money laundering schemes, or technologies used in cybercrimes.
A purple notice allows for the prevention or quick recognition of threats, even if they have not previously been encountered in a specific jurisdiction. Such notices are actively used in combating organized crime, terrorism, drug trafficking, and financial fraud.
They also play an important role in the practical training of specialists, as they contain descriptions of real cases and methods tested in practice. Thus, Purple Notice serves as a tool for rapid response and global cooperation between states.
It is important to note that the purple notice does not have the legal force of an arrest warrant, however, it may influence a criminal investigation or preventive measures within the framework of national legislation.
Sources of information and initiators
Purple Notice is issued based on reliable data about new methods of committing crimes, collected from various authoritative sources. The main initiators of such notices are the National Central Bureaus of member countries. These units serve as the official contact points of Interpol in each country and have direct access to local law enforcement agencies and criminal information.
In addition to the NCB, an important role is played by the General Secretariat of Interpol, located in Lyon. It coordinates the processing and verification of received information, ensures the publication of notices and their distribution among all member countries. It is the Secretariat that is responsible for ensuring that the notice complies with Interpol standards and international law.
The sources of data for purple notices can include investigation reports, seized items, suspect interrogations, as well as analytical materials prepared by specialized Interpol units. Additionally, significant importance is placed on cooperation with other international organizations such as Europol, FRONTEX, WHO, FATF, and regional security structures. These organizations can provide information on new criminal trends, especially if they affect multiple countries simultaneously.
Interpol’s Color-Coded Notification System
Interpol uses a system of color-coded notices for the rapid international exchange of information about crimes, suspects, security threats, and other critically important data. These notices allow law enforcement agencies to quickly coordinate actions without violating national laws. Each notice is designated by a specific color and has a strictly regulated purpose:
- Red Notice. Used for international search with the purpose of arrest and subsequent extradition of a suspect. It is not an international arrest warrant but plays a similar role in interstate cooperation;
- Blue Notice. Allows determining the location of a person, their identity, and gathering additional information about their activities. Often used if the person is not wanted for arrest but requires monitoring;
- Green Notice. Warns international authorities about individuals posing a threat to public safety: serial offenders, radicals, sexual predators. Has a preventive function;
- Yellow Notice. Used for searching for missing persons, especially minors, or for identifying individuals unable to identify themselves (due to mental disorders or injuries);
- Orange Notice. Warns about objects and events posing potential danger: suspicious packages, methods of committing terrorist acts, or the spread of particularly hazardous substances;
- Purple Notice. Records new methods, ways, and technologies of committing crimes, including weapon modifications, drug transportation, cyberattack schemes, and other forms of criminal activity;
- Black Notice. Used for the identification of unidentified bodies or objects related to criminal investigations when identity could not be established;
- UN Security Council Special Notice. Issued by the UN Security Council regarding individuals and organizations subject to international sanctions (terrorism or weapons proliferation).
What information is usually included in a purple notice?
Usually, the purple notification contains the following:
- A detailed description of the method of committing the crime, including the stages of preparation, execution, and concealment of traces;
- Information about technical means, devices, vehicles, or substances used by criminals. This could be the design of a hidden compartment in a car for transporting drugs or a diagram of modified firearms;
- Details of concealment methods — how criminals disguise their actions, traces, or materials used (using legal supplies for smuggling, introducing malicious programs through harmless electronic files);
- Photographs, diagrams, charts, video materials, or other visual evidence that help law enforcement quickly recognize similar cases;
- Information about the geographical distribution of the method: in which countries or regions it has been observed, how localized or transnational it is;
- Information about potential victims — who most often suffers from this method (elderly people in cases of internet fraud or migrants in human trafficking);
- Recommendations for police actions, if such are developed, or links to related notifications.
Examples of criminal activities covered in Purple Notices
1. New fraud schemes
Modern fraudsters are increasingly resorting to social engineering techniques, phishing, and complex financial schemes. For example: sending fake emails allegedly from banks or tax authorities, substituting company details to steal funds, “CEO fraud” schemes, where attackers imitate correspondence with company management, demanding urgent money transfers.
2. Drug trafficking and methods of concealment
Purple notifications often concern new methods of drug transportation, including the use of drones and underwater drones, concealment in shipments of legal products, new synthetic drugs, and precursors not included in the lists of controlled substances.
3. Cybercrime
With the growth of digitalization, purple notifications cover new malicious programs disguised as legitimate applications, methods of attacks on corporate networks (e.g., supply chain attacks), and the use of cryptocurrencies for money laundering.
4. Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs)
Interpol shares data on new methods of manufacturing and disguising explosive devices: the use of household chemicals and electronic components, concealment in everyday items (toys, laptops, shoes).
5. Methods of smuggling and illegal trade
Purple notifications help identify methods of covert transportation of weapons, antiques, counterfeit medicines, routes, and techniques used in human trafficking.
If your company or client has become a victim or an object of interest in such cases, we are ready to provide a legal assessment of the situation, protection of interests, and international legal support. We work with cross-border cases and possess the tools for effective protection of your business and reputation.
The difference between the Purple Notice and other Interpol notices.
Unlike the red notice, which is used to search for a person for arrest and extradition, the purple one is not related to the search for a specific individual and does not carry the legal force of a warrant.
The purple notice primarily serves an analytical and preventive function. It allows INTERPOL member countries to quickly adapt to new types of threats and prevent their spread. This makes it an indispensable tool in the fight against transnational crime. The legal specifics of this notice require professional understanding, especially if the information concerns business clients or international operations.
How to remove the purple Interpol notification?
Stage 1. Analysis of the notification content
The first step is to obtain information about the notification itself. Contact the NCB in your country with a request for access to the data. If justified, you have the right to demand official confirmation of the fact of publication and its content. It is important to understand whether you or your company are mentioned directly or indirectly. This stage allows for a legal assessment of the scope and consequences of the notification.
Stage 2. Assessment of the legal position
After receiving the information, a legal examination is necessary. It is checked whether the notification violates your rights. It is determined whether the publication truly contains false or unfounded information. Lawyers analyze the compliance of the notification with Interpol rules and international law. At this stage, legal grounds for appeal are prepared.
Stage 3. Filing a complaint with the CCF Commission
If there are grounds to believe that the purple notice violates your rights, an official application is submitted to the CCF — an independent body responsible for ensuring compliance with Interpol’s rules. The application includes details of the complaint, evidence of rights violations, and a request for the removal or editing of the notice. All materials must be in English or French, with certified translations. The commission reviews appeals independently of the opinions of states.
Stage 4. Legal representative support
An appeal to the CCF requires precision and a strategic approach. A lawyer prepares a reasoned position based on the norms of the Rules on the Processing of Data. It indicates the inconsistency of the notice with INTERPOL’s mandate, the lack of evidence, and the disproportionality of the impact. References to international norms are also provided. A poorly drafted complaint may be rejected without consideration.
Stage 5. Resolution of CCF and further actions
CCF considers an appeal from 6 to 12 months. If the complaint is deemed justified, Interpol deletes or edits the notice. In case of refusal, it is possible to submit a repeated appeal if new data is available. In certain cases, it is possible to challenge the notice at the national level or seek official clarifications through diplomacy.
Our legal team has experience interacting with Interpol authorities, including complex cases related to purple notices. We will assess the legal position and prospects for removal, gain access to information about the notice, prepare and submit a reasoned complaint to the CCF, and ensure support throughout all stages of the process: from the initial request to data removal.
What assistance can lawyers provide you?
The lawyers of our company begin work by assessing the presence and content of the purple notification:
- We submit official requests to the NCB and the General Secretariat of Interpol;
- We determine whether the notification is directly related to the client or affects them indirectly;
- We are checking compliance with the Interpol Data Processing Regulations and international legal norms.
This allows for accurately determining the legal basis for further actions.
We explain how a purple notice can affect your situation: potential difficulties when crossing borders, threats to the company’s reputation, especially in the fields of high technology, pharmaceuticals, or logistics, risks of financial and partner checks within the framework of KYC/AML procedures. Consultations include a strategy for mitigating reputational and legal consequences.
If the notification contains false information, violates rights, or was published without grounds, we prepare a complaint to the CCF, compile a client dossier, including rebuttals, explanatory notes, and certificates, translate and format documents according to CCF standards, and accompany the client at all stages of case review (from submission to decision-making). This increases the chances of removing or editing the information.
In addition to applying to the CCF, our team helps draft legal clarifications for partners, banks, or government bodies, communicate with international organizations or ministries of foreign affairs, reduce the risks of being included in restricted access lists or compliance restrictions. We provide not only legal protection but also support your business resilience.
Even after the notification is removed, we continue our work: monitoring for re-publication or updates of information, supporting the client in legal matters related to international cooperation, ensuring access to verified information from Interpol databases. Legal protection is not limited to filing a single complaint—it is systematic work for the future.
Contact us right now to discuss your situation and receive professional legal assistance. We will help restore justice and protect your reputation on an international level.
