The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the seizure of approximately 145 internet domains, both on the darknet and the traditional web. Additionally, it also announced the seizure of cryptocurrency funds related to the criminal marketplace BidenCash, which sold stolen credit cards.
The operation was conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. The agency detailed in an official statement that it marks a significant advance in combating the trafficking of stolen credit cards.
Thus, BidenCash operated since March 2022, served more than 117,000 customers, and generated $17 million in revenue. Its revenue source comes from facilitating the sale of over 15 million credit card numbers and personal information, according to the DOJ.
The operation against BidenCash
BidenCash was a platform that simplified the buying and selling of stolen data with cryptocurrencies, including credit card numbers, expiration dates, CVV codes, cardholder names, addresses, emails, and phone numbers.
Between October 2022 and February 2023, the administrators of the marketplace released 3.3 million stolen credit cards for free to promote their services. This is a tactic that attracted thousands of cybercriminals.
Furthermore, the platform charged a fee for each transaction, contributing to its revenue of $17 million over two years.
The DOJ operation resulted in the seizure of BidenCash's domains. The domains are now under the control of a server from U.S. authorities, displaying a blocking message and halting future criminal activities.
Additionally, the government obtained judicial authorization to confiscate cryptocurrency funds that BidenCash used to receive illicit profits. Although the exact amount has not been disclosed. The action was led by prosecutor Zoe Bedell, with support from agencies such as the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service.
The same DOJ statement mentions coordinated actions with Germany and Finland to dismantle the online infrastructure of Garantex. A cryptocurrency exchange accused of facilitating money laundering by transnational criminals.
