Europol closes DarkMarket, the largest illegal store on the Dark Web

For those who don’t know, what we know about the Internet is just a tip of a huge iceberg of data, content and websites. The dark side is the Dark Web, the darkest part of the deep Internet. And most of the domains hosted here are directed towards criminal practices.

But now Europol has announced the closure of what is the largest illegal store on the Dark Web, called DarkMarket.

The Dark Web is a name that the average Internet user has probably never heard of. But, in short, it is the darkest area on the Internet, known mainly for the criminal practices that take place there.

Counterfeiting of documents, sale of stolen accounts and sale of illicit products are some examples of what goes on ‘down there’. But the Dark Web is also the place where many other black activities take place, such as sites associated with drug trafficking, exploitation, abuse and trafficking in children, torture and crimes in every way possible and worthy of the most disturbed minds.

But the good news is that sometimes these sites are thoroughly investigated and the authorities are finally able to shut them down.

DarkMarket: Europol closes Dark Web’s largest illegal store

A Europol closed this Tuesday, January 12th, DarkMarket, considered the largest illegal store on Dark Web. This action was the result of a coordinated operation with the help of Germany, Australia, Denmark, Moldova, Ukraine, United Kingdom and the United States .

DarkMarket used to sell various illegal articles, such as money and fake documents, credit card clones, anonymous SIM cards, personal data, medicines, among others.

According to Europol, the store had more than 500,000 users and more than 2,400 salespeople. In addition, more than 320,000 transactions were carried out on the website, with more than 4,650 bitcoins and more than 12,800 money transferred. According to the authority, in the current exchange rate, transfers correspond to an amount exceeding 140 million euros.

But before they shut down the site, the Central Criminal Investigation Department in the German city of Oldenburg arrested an Australian citizen who is suspected of being responsible for DarkMarket. The arrest took place last weekend.

The investigation, led by the cyber crime unit of the Koblenz Public Prosecutor’s Office, allowed authorities to locate and close the market, shut down servers and seize the crime infrastructure. This system had more than 20 servers located in Moldova and Ukraine. In this way, the data stored in this equipment, which is held by Europol, will provide new clues to investigate moderators, sellers and buyers of this and other crimes.