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Department Of Justice Seizes Websites Selling Stolen Credit Card Info

By TechTaffy Desk

[Techtaffy Newdesk]

Seizure orders have been executed against 36 domain names of websites engaged in the illegal sale and distribution of stolen credit card numbers, says the Department of Justice.

The 36 seized domains are in the custody of the federal government.  Visitors to the sites will now find a seizure banner that notifies them that the domain name has been seized by federal authorities.

The seizures are the result of Operation Wreaking hAVoC, an FBI and Justice Department operation targeting the sale of stolen credit card numbers via the Internet.  The operation was coordinated with international law enforcement, including the United Kingdom’s Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA).

Neil H. MacBride (U.S. Attorney): With a few simple clicks, thousands of stolen credit card numbers can be bought or sold to fraudsters anywhere in the world.

The websites of the seized domain names are commonly referred to as Automated Vending Carts (AVCs).  An AVC is a website that functions as an open-ended invitation to any visitor to purchase stolen credit card numbers.  AVCs allow a user to buy stolen credit card data over the Web, even using an online “shopping cart,” just like a traditional online retailer Some AVC sites allow a buyer to select which type of credit card number to purchase, the account’s country of origin, and, in some cases, the state in which the account holder lives.  AVCs allow sellers to traffic stolen credit card data without communicating directly with buyers.

The operation was led by FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property and Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Sections of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.  The FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania also assisted in the investigation.

The international operation was led by the United Kingdom’s SOCA.  The Australian Federal Police (AFP); German Bundeskriminalamt (BKA); United Kingdom’s Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Crime Unit (DCPCU); Macedonian Ministry of Interior Cyber Crime Unit (MOI); Ukraine Ministry of Internal Affairs; Romanian Ministry of Interior; and the Dutch High-Tech Crimes Unit (KLPD) provided assistance.  Activities conducted by these international law enforcement agencies included arrests of AVC operators and purchasers, additional domain seizures and data seizures.

Upload: 05-01-12

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