"Two Indicted in US for Running Dark Web Marketplaces Offering Stolen Information"
The US recently indicted a Kazakhstani national and a Russian national for operating several dark web sites facilitating the trading of personal, payment card, and banking information. According to the Department of Justice (DoJ), the two, Alex Khodyrev, 35, of Kazakhstan, and Pavel Kublitskii, 37, of Russia, were the main administrators of wwh-club.ws (WWH Club) and several sister websites between 2014 and 2024. Representing dark web marketplaces, forums, and training centers, these websites allowed members to sell and buy various types of sensitive information, including personal identifying information (PII), card and bank account information, and credentials. The DoJ noted that site members used the forums to discuss techniques for mounting cyberattacks, committing fraud, and evading law enforcement. WWH Club, the indictment alleges, also offered courses on how miscreants could commit fraud. Khodyrev, Kublitskii, and others monetized the dark web marketplaces and forums through membership fees, advertising revenue, and tuition fees. WWH Club is estimated to have had roughly 353,000 users worldwide in 2023. The DoJ noted that the two had been living in Miami for two years and continued administering the dark web sites before being arrested and indicted. Khodyrev and Kublitskii were charged with access device fraud and wire fraud conspiracy and face up to 20 years in prison.