US government closes 145 websites that stole card credentials, seized crypts
By Hannah Pérez
The US Department of Justice.
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- Seized 145 criminal web domains and funds in cryptocurrencies linked to Bidencash
- US Department of Justice. It says that the market generated more than USD $ 17M in income
- Bidencash sold credit card information to criminals online
The United States government has seized funds in cryptocurrencies as part of an operation in which it closed hundreds of criminal web domains associated with the theft of user data, primarily card credentials.
In a press release, the Eastern District Prosecutor’s Office of Virginia reported that he confiscated cryptocurrency funds during the closing of 145 Darkweb domains and traditional Internet connected to the criminal market Bidencash.
Specialized in the sale and distribution of stolen data –primarily credit card information–, Bidencash It is a Darkweb market that began operating in 2022. It was launched shortly after the Russian authorities closed other similar sites, and quickly gained notoriety for its aggressive promotional tactics, such as publishing data stolen free of charge.
“Between October 2022 and February 2023, the Bidencash market published 3.3 million credit cards stolen for free to promote the use of its services“The prosecutors said. “The stolen data included credit card numbers, expiration dates, CVV numbers, account holders names, addresses, email addresses and telephone numbers”.
US authorities detailed that the administrators of Bidencash They charged a rate for each transaction made on the website, which grew to support more than 117,000 clients and It facilitated the traffic of more than 15 million data, including payment card numbers and personal identification information.
Prosecutor seizures cryptocurrencies associated with Bidencash
The US Department of Justice did not provide information on the specific amount or type of cryptocurrencies that were seized during the operation, although he assured that Bidencash It generated more than USD $ 17 million in revenues during operations.
“The United States obtained judicial authorization to confiscate cryptocurrency funds that the Bidencash market used to receive illegal profits from its illegal sales“read in the prosecutor’s statement.
Bidencash It evolved after its launch to offer server access credentials (SSH), allowing cybercriminals to use compromised servers for activities such as cryptocurrency mining or ransomware attacks.
The case was investigated by the FBI, Secret Service of the United States, and together with its cyber research unit and its office in Frankfurt, with the help of the National Unit of Crimes of the Netherlands, the Shadowserver Foundation and Searchlight Cyber.
After the seizure, the web domains of Bidencash They are no longer operational and will now be redirected to a server controlled by US forces, thus blocking any further criminal use, authorities reported.
The US government has almost 200,000 Bitcoinsvalued today in approximately USD $ 20 million, product of criminal seizures, as well as other cryptocurrencies. In March, President Donald Trump signed a decree that establishes the creation of a strategic reserve of Bitcoin National in the United States made up of confiscated currencies.
Hannah Estefanía Pérez / Diariobitcoin
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