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UniCC – the leading dark web marketplace for stolen credit cards – announced that she was retiring. Elliptical analysis shows that 358 million dollars have been purchased through the market since 2013 through cryptocurrencies.
The news was published on dark web forums in Russian and English. It’s been a little less than a year since the retirement of the previous market leader Joker’s Stash, which enabled the sale of nearly $400 million in stolen cards. UniCC benefited from the market gap left by Joker’s Stash – quickly takes the lead with 30% market share.
The retirement notice was posted on the illegal card forums
UniCC has been active since 2013 and during that period received cryptocurrencies totaling $358 million for Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ether and Dash. Tens of thousands of new cards were listed for sale on the market every day, and it was known for having many different suppliers – with fierce competition keeping prices relatively low.
Bitcoin value in US dollars received by UniCC and Joker’s Stash
Hundreds of millions of payment card details were stolen from online retailers, banks and payment companies before being sold for cryptocurrency on online marketplaces such as UniCC. These stolen cards have value because they can be used to purchase high-value items or gift cards, which can then be resold for cash. This process is known as “carding” and has become a key part of the cybercriminal playbook. The technique itself is highly profitable, but it is also used to help launder and pay off cryptocurrency obtained by other types of cybercrime.
Screenshot of UniCC, showing stolen cards for sale
Dark Web Retirement Winter
This closure is the latest in a series of retirements in the field of illegal dark web markets. In October 2021, the White House Market – the largest darknet market of its kind – announced that it would shut down. They were followed by Cannazon in November and Torez in December. Both specialized in the sale of illegal drugs. Additionally, in early January 2022, the Monopoly Market became unavailable in a possible exit scam.
The wave of recent departures was potentially the trigger for UniCC’s retirement, as illegal actors see an opportunity in the turbulence to either abscond with user funds or retreat to avoid increased police attention. However, seizures by authorities in the carding market are not uncommon. In July 2021, the stolen credentials marketplace Slilpp was seized by the FBI in cooperation with a number of European agencies after making nearly $22 million in bitcoins.
However, the carding market has also seen a number of new entrants – most notably All World Cards in June 2021, which made headlines by offering nearly three million free cards in an early promotion.
As UniCC retires, the focus will now be on who will emerge as the main successor. The overall ticketing market recently surpassed more than $1.4 billion in sales with Bitcoin alone. Meanwhile, the operators behind UniCC will be looking to cash in on their huge profits.
UPDATE (January 24, 2022): Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has reportedly arrested the alleged operator of UniCC, Andrei Sergeyevich Novak, and three other suspects. Novak is also wanted by the FBI for his role in founding the cybercrime organization Infraud, which was involved in credit card theft and other financial fraud. US law enforcement agencies reportedly assisted the FSB in the operation.
Elliptic’s cryptoasset and wallet transaction verification solutions can be used by virtual asset service providers to ensure they are not used to pay the proceeds of illegal activities such as trading in stolen credit cards.
