Fraudsters’ website closed

Published October 18, 2008

LONDON, Oct 17: Police said on Friday they had shut down a highly sophisticated website that allowed fraudsters around the world to trade in stolen credit card details and find out about the latest online scams.

Almost 60 people have been arrested worldwide as part of a long-running international undercover operation into the DarkMarket site led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States.

The closely guarded, invitation-only forum, inaccessible to most web users, allowed criminals to buy and sell stolen financial information, such as people’s online banking details and credit card data.

It also gave the latest information on how to commit online fraud and what equipment to use in financial crimes.

Launched in 2005, the site, said by the authorities to be one of the most significant of its kind, had 2,500 registered members at its peak.

In Britain, the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) said 11 people had been arrested as part of the operation in London, Manchester, Leicester, Doncaster and Humberside.

An agency spokeswoman said investigators infiltrated the forum in 2006 to gather evidence about the ringleaders.

“The thing with these sites is if you simply shut them down people transfer the activity elsewhere,” she said.

“The idea is to take out the key, highly organised and sophisticated operators who set them up, monitor and run them.”—Reuters

Opinion

Editorial

Maulana’s message
Updated 11 Mar, 2025

Maulana’s message

The problem now is that most jihadi fighters, ideologues refuse to end their "struggle" on advice of state or mainstream clerics.
President’s speech
11 Mar, 2025

President’s speech

PRESIDENT Asif Zardari, addressing Monday’s joint session of parliament to mark the start of a new parliamentary...
Indian takeover
11 Mar, 2025

Indian takeover

BY the time the Champions Trophy final ended, the only indicators that the tournament had been hosted by Pakistan...
Mosquito season
10 Mar, 2025

Mosquito season

AS temperatures rise, the threat of dengue looms large over Pakistan. Its warning signs have already arrived. Dengue...
Reckless rhetoric
10 Mar, 2025

Reckless rhetoric

ONCE again, the Indian leadership gave in to their worst impulses, with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar...
Water scarcity
Updated 10 Mar, 2025

Water scarcity

The need to meet climate challenge is even greater when Pakistan is prone to multiple disastrous events at the same time.