The post FBI Shuts Down BidenCash Darknet Marketplace, Seizes $17M in Crypto appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News
When the FBI and U.S. Secret Service seize 145 darknet domains tied to a single marketplace, you know the stakes are high. That’s exactly what happened to BidenCash, a shadowy player in the dark web’s stolen credit card trade that raked in over $17 million in crypto revenue since 2022.
This is a significant strike against crypto-enabled cybercrime. Here are the deets.
BidenCash’s Dark Web Empire Falls
BidenCash built its notoriety by trafficking more than 15 million stolen credit cards and personal data on the dark web and clearnet. It didn’t stop there: the marketplace also sold compromised credentials that granted unauthorized access to computers. The operation charged a fee for every transaction, leveraging crypto as a near-anonymous payment method.
The crackdown saw the seizure of about 145 domains linked to BidenCash, including its clearnet site bidencash.asia and several onion domains now redirecting to official U.S. government seizure notices.
According to the Department of Justice, between October 2022 and February 2023, BidenCash even published 3.3 million stolen cards for free to boost usage. Chilling, right?
A Coordinated Global Strike
While the FBI led the charge, it was backed by the U.S. Secret Service, Dutch National Police, and cybersecurity organizations like The Shadowserver Foundation and Searchlight Cyber.
The BidenCash domains now display seizure banners and FBI even took to Twitter to announce the operation.
It’s Time for Better Crypto Enforcement
This crackdown fits into a broader pattern of intensifying global law enforcement actions against crypto-linked crime.
In May, Europol coordinated Operation RapTor, which targeted fentanyl sales on the dark web involving crypto payments, resulting in hundreds of arrests across ten countries.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Justice recently seized over $24 million in cryptocurrency from a Russian operator accused of running the Qakbot malware.
For a long time, the promise of crypto’s privacy features made the dark web a relatively safe haven for illicit trade. No more!
