UniCC, the largest online marketplace for stolen credit and debit cards, has announced that it will close next week.
The platform has generated $358 million in transactions since 2013.
The announcement was made on Dark Web forums, in Russian and English, says Elliptic Enterprises Ltd, a company specializing in scientific analysis of the blockchain.
A fruitful market
According to Elliptic, tens of thousands of new cards went on sale on UniCC every day.
Specifically, UniCC was selling them for cryptocurrencies.
An exchange that benefited both the exchange platform and the acquirer of a new stolen card.
On the side of the buyer of the card, the possibilities were multiple.
For example, these cards could be used to launder cryptocurrency obtained through other types of cybercrime.
Similarly, the buyer could use them to make purchases online, before reselling the illegally purchased items for cash.
Typically, cybercriminals stole credit card information through phishing or by hacking bank and retailer databases.
A wave of closures
UniCC has collected more than $100 million worth of bitcoins in exchange for stolen credit cards in 2021 alone. According to Elliptic, this growth is linked to the February closure of Joker's Stash, previously the largest marketplace for cryptocurrencies. stolen credit cards.
Also according to Elliptic, UniCC suddenly closed its doors following increased surveillance by law enforcement that led to the closure of similar illicit online markets.
Indeed, this withdrawal scheduled for January 22 follows the closure of several other major Dark Web players.
Cannazon and Torrez, two markets specializing in the sale of illicit drugs, closed recently.
Online drug-selling site Monopoly Market suspended services this month, as did White House Market in 2021.
A “weighted” decision
In response to Elliptic's guesses, UniCC called for not constructing a "conspiracy theory" about his departure.
In one of their posts, the owners claim to have made this “weighted” decision because of their age and because their health no longer allows them “to work like this”.
But the war against cybercrime does not seem to be over.
Indeed, new exchange sites are already appearing.
In June, the new All World Cards site offered nearly 3 million free cards as part of a publicity stunt.
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