SOCA and FBI take down criminal websites

26.04.2012
Thirty-six websites used to sell stolen bank account details have been taken down following an investigation by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA).

In addition, two British men suspected of making large-scale purchases of stolen data from such sites were arrested yesterday, and the UK's Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Crime Unit (DCPCU) seized a number of computers suspected of being used to facilitate offences under the Fraud Act.

An Automated Vending Cart (AVC) operator, based in Macedonia, has also been arrested by the Macedonian Ministry of Interior Cyber Crime Unit.

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SOCA, working with the FBI and the US Department of Justice, identified the web domains as specialising in selling stolen payment card and online bank account details.

The sites used e-commerce type platforms, known as Automated Vending Carts (AVCs), which allow criminals to sell large amounts of stolen data quickly and easily.