Darkmarket might sound like a cool site name, but the reality was anything but that. It was an online venue – by invitation only – where criminals could buy and sell credit cards details, sometimes for as little as $2, the BBC has reported.
However, the emphasis is on the past tense. The FBI infiltrated the site, then spent two years gathering evidence before conducting raids that led to the arrest of 28 people, followed by police operations in the UK and other countries, netting a total of 32 more.
According to Sharon Lemon, deputy director of the Serious Organized Crime Agency:
Darkmarket is a one-stop shop for the online criminal.
"You can go to the forum and engage in criminal activity quite freely. You can buy any product you want, you can sell any product you want.
"These aren’t geeks we’re talking about. These are serious and organized criminals.
"And they can vary. You can be the beginner who can go onto the site, get a tutorial and start your life of crime.”
The site has 2,000 registered users, although that fight might reflect a proper total, as users would go by several aliases.
