Try2Check, the website for selling stolen bank cards that has just been taken down
The U.S. Department of State announced Wednesday, May 3, “offers of rewards for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of a Russian cybercriminal. And identification of key leaders of a transnational organized crime group.”
Specifically, the U.S. authority was offering up to $10 million for data on. Denis Gennadievich Kulkov.
The State Department also did a second reward offer of up to $1 million. for data leading to the identification of any other key leaders of the transnational organized crime group Try2Check.
Charges and indictment
This release was being made in conjunction with the announcement of charges against Kulkov by the U.S. Department of Justice, “accused of running an international “card-checking” platform that generated tens of millions of dollars in revenue.”
Kulkov is charged with these charges: access device fraud, computer intrusion, and money laundering in connection with his Try2Check operation.
“The defendant made at least $18 million in bitcoins.”
“The Try2Check platform catered to the cybercriminals who. bought and sold stolen credit card numbers in bulk on the Internet.by offering them the ability to quickly determine what percentage of the cards were valid and active,” says the U.S. Department of Justice.
Since its launch, Try2Check has facilitated. tens of millions of dollars in losses to citizens from identity theft and fraud. credit card fraud each year, among other crimes.
According to the Department of Justice, “through the unlawful operation of his websites, the defendant earned at least $18 million in bitcoins (as well as an unknown amount through other payment systems), which he used to purchase a Ferrari, among other luxury items.”
If convicted, Kulkov faces up to 20 years in prison..
How Try2Check works
Kulkov created Try2Check in 2005.making it one of the leading tools for illicit credit card trading that has ever existed.
How it works is easy to understand: first, cybercriminals acquired large batches of stolen credit cards – for example, by hacking into credit card readers in stores; they then ran these cards through the Try2Check platform to determine what percentage of the stolen credit card numbers remained active. and, finally, they used the resulting data to show prospective purchasers of the stolen credit cards what percentage still had value.
In this way, says the U.S. Secret Service, “Try2Check victimized not only credit card issuers and cardholders, but also a major U.S.-based payment processing company. Whose systems Try2Check improperly used to perform the card checks.” They do not specify which company this is.
Thanks to a joint collaboration between the U.S. authorities and German and Austrian Interpol partnersthe Try2Check website has been shut down and its servers seized, dealing “a severe blow to the criminal economy”.
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