ID Theft Website Shuttered

The website, www.darkmarket.ws, has also since been shut down.

ID theft website brought down.Dark Market’s more than 2,500 members – there by invitation only – could buy and sell electronic banking log-ins, stolen personal data and credit card magnetic strip swipes that could be used to make counterfeit cards. The swipe from a single personal credit card could be had for as little as $2. The most prized information, however, were magnetic strips from corporate credit cards belonging to frequent business travelers, which could be used throughout the world to spend large sums with less suspicion. The site had operated for three years, taking the place of an earlier site, Shadowcrew.com, that was raided and shut down by US Secret Service in 2004.

Infiltration Powered Investigation

The Dark Market arrests were the culmination of a two-year investigation by the US FBI. An agent had infiltrated the site under the name Master Splyntr and became a well-respected member and a site administrator.

“What’s worked for us in taking down spy rings and entire mob families over the years —embedding an undercover agent deep within a criminal organization — worked beautifully in taking down Dark Market,” said FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director Shawn Henry. “And once again, our global partnerships paid off.”

Transnational Cooperation Worked

The FBI worked with the Turkish National Police, the German Federal Criminal Police and the UK’s Serious Organized Crime Agency (SOCA), which led the UK investigation and arrested 11 people in London, Manchester, and three other towns.

SOCA’s deputy director Sharon Lemon said, “Dark Market is a one-stop shop for the online criminal. You can go to the forum and engage in criminal activity quite freely. You can buy any product you want; you can sell any product you want.

“These aren’t geeks we’re talking about and they can vary. You can be the beginner who can go onto the site, get a tutorial and start your life of crime.”

By Beth