Global police sting takes down ‘world’s biggest’ hacker marketplace

A major online marketplace allowing hackers to buy and sell stolen data has been taken down by an international police operation.

The European Union police agency Europol confirmed the website RaidForums has been shut down and its alleged administrator, 21-year-old Diogo Santos Coelho, arrested.

Originally from Portugal, Coelho is facing extradition to the US.Two suspected accomplices were also arrested.

The international operation involved agencies from the States, including the FBI, and Secret Service, as well as law enforcement agencies from the UK, Sweden, Portugal, and Romania.

‘To profit from the illicit activity on the platform, RaidForums charged escalating prices for membership tiers that offered greater access and features, including a top-tier ‘God’ membership status,’ the US Justice Department said in a statement.

Coelho is facing a six-count indictment, charging him with conspiracy, access device fraud and aggravated identity theft.

‘Disruption has always been a key technique in operating against threat actors online, so targeting forums that host huge amounts of stolen data keeps criminals on their toes,’ said Edvardas Sileris, head of Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre.

‘Europol will continue working with its international partners to make cybercrime harder — and riskier — to commit.