The AchieVer Posted May 8, 2019 Share Posted May 8, 2019 DeepDotWeb Dark web resource dies with FBI seizure The domain was known for providing links to websites in the Dark web. It is quite common for Dark web marketplaces and criminal trading hotspots to be taken down by law enforcement, but it is unusual for websites which contain Dark web-related resources to be seized in the same way. However, in DeepDotWeb's case, this appears to be precisely what has taken place. DeepDotWeb was available in the clear and Dark web and was a website which would aggregate news related to underground trading and cryptocurrency, and would also provide current lists of underground marketplaces together with their hidden URLs. At the time of writing, DeepDotWeb is not accessible beyond a domain seizure notice. The notice posted says that the FBI has taken down the website pursuant to "a seizure warrant obtained by the US Attorney's Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania, the US Department of Justice's (DoJ) Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and the Organized Crime and Gang Section." In addition, the message says that the seizure was made in coordination with European law enforcement agencies through Europol. The notice mentions 18 USC 1956(h), 981, and 982, which are laws in relation to money laundering. The Times of Israel reports that local authorities have arrested two Israelis -- a 35-year-old from Tel Aviv and a 34-year-old resident of Ashdod -- in connection to the seizure, alongside suspects in France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Brazil. According to Israeli law enforcement, the administrators of DeepDotWeb were able to make "millions of dollars" through darknet referrals, in a process known as affiliate marketing. News of the investigation and subsequent arrests follow an operation made public earlier this month in which German, US, Netherlands, and French law enforcement agencies worked together with Europol to seize the servers of the Wall Street Market, a marketplace known for the trade of illegal goods and services in the Dark Web. The seizure occurred after the operators of the domain performed an exit scam, vanishing with $14.2 million in cryptocurrency. Three suspects have been arrested. Law enforcement also revealed the closure of another marketplace, Silkkitie, which has been in operation since 2013. The web server which provided the backbone of the marketplace was seized and a "significant" amount of Bitcoin was confiscated. Source Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
It is quite common for Dark web marketplaces and criminal trading hotspots to be taken down by law enforcement, but it is unusual for websites which contain Dark web-related resources to be seized in the same way. However, in DeepDotWeb's case, this appears to be precisely what has taken place. DeepDotWeb was available in the clear and Dark web and was a website which would aggregate news related to underground trading and cryptocurrency, and would also provide current lists of underground marketplaces together with their hidden URLs. At the time of writing, DeepDotWeb is not accessible beyond a domain seizure notice. The notice posted says that the FBI has taken down the website pursuant to "a seizure warrant obtained by the US Attorney's Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania, the US Department of Justice's (DoJ) Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and the Organized Crime and Gang Section." In addition, the message says that the seizure was made in coordination with European law enforcement agencies through Europol. The notice mentions 18 USC 1956(h), 981, and 982, which are laws in relation to money laundering. The Times of Israel reports that local authorities have arrested two Israelis -- a 35-year-old from Tel Aviv and a 34-year-old resident of Ashdod -- in connection to the seizure, alongside suspects in France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Brazil. According to Israeli law enforcement, the administrators of DeepDotWeb were able to make "millions of dollars" through darknet referrals, in a process known as affiliate marketing. News of the investigation and subsequent arrests follow an operation made public earlier this month in which German, US, Netherlands, and French law enforcement agencies worked together with Europol to seize the servers of the Wall Street Market, a marketplace known for the trade of illegal goods and services in the Dark Web. The seizure occurred after the operators of the domain performed an exit scam, vanishing with $14.2 million in cryptocurrency. Three suspects have been arrested. Law enforcement also revealed the closure of another marketplace, Silkkitie, which has been in operation since 2013. The web server which provided the backbone of the marketplace was seized and a "significant" amount of Bitcoin was confiscated. Source
straycat19 Posted May 8, 2019 Share Posted May 8, 2019 Europol has been getting particularly agressive in assisting US agencies. The FBI has increased its presence on the net, particularly the dark web, a hundred fold in the last 5 years. Laws are being changed to favor law enforcement and not the users, which is only good for the common man. There is no place for criminals in society or on the web. And as the boys down south say, "We done good in Georgia." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aum Posted April 2, 2021 Share Posted April 2, 2021 DeepDotWeb Admin Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering Charges The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) on Wednesday said that an Israeli national pleaded guilty for his role as an "administrator" of a portal called DeepDotWeb (DDW), a "news" website that "served as a gateway to numerous dark web marketplaces." According to the unsealed court documents, Tal Prihar, 37, an Israeli citizen residing in Brazil, operated DDW alongside Michael Phan, 34, of Israel, starting October 2013, in return for which they received kickbacks from the operators of the marketplaces in the form of virtual currency amounting to 8,155 bitcoins (worth $8.4 million at the time of the transactions). In an attempt to conceal the illicit payments, Prihar is said to have transferred the money to other bitcoin accounts and to bank accounts under his control in the name of shell companies. "Tal Prihar served as a broker for illegal Darknet marketplaces — helping such marketplaces find customers for fentanyl, firearms, and other dangerous contraband — and profited from the illegal business that ensued," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the DoJ's Criminal Division. "This prosecution, seizure of the broker website, and forfeiture send a clear message that we are not only prosecuting the administrators of Darknet marketplaces offering illegal goods and services, but we will also bring to justice those that aim to facilitate and profit from them." DDW was seized by federal authorities in April 2019 as part of a joint law enforcement operation involving Europol's European Cybercrime Centre, France, Germany, Brazil, Israel, the Netherlands, U.K., and the U.S., with the website rendered inaccessible beyond a domain seizure notice. The referral links included listings for underground marketplaces such as AlphaBay, Agora, Abraxas, Dream, and Valhalla, which traded in illegal firearms, malware and hacking tools, stolen financial data, heroin and fentanyl, and other contraband. In addition to pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering, Prihar has also agreed to forfeit the entire proceeds amassed from each purchase of illegal goods made on a dark web marketplace linked to the DDW site. He is scheduled to be sentenced on August 2, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Source Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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