Popular service used by cybercriminals to verify stolen credit card info shut down
U.S. authorities announced Wednesday that they shut down a popular credit card verification service used by cybercriminals and indicted a Russian citizen suspected of running the scheme.
The 43-year-old Denis Kulkov, who currently resides in Russia, owns and operates Try2Check — a web platform used to sell stolen credit cards. Kulkov created the service in 2005 and has made at least $18 million from it, which he used to purchase a Ferrari sports car and other luxury items, prosecutors said.
The service was taken down Wednesday following a joint operation between the U.S. government and partners in Germany, Austria, and France.
Try2Check’s main customers were cybercriminals who stole large amounts of credit card numbers — the service determined if the numbers were valid, and helped cybercriminals sell the verified data to other fraudsters for a higher price. Try2Check charged 20 cents per card check.
Prosecutors said that in addition to the credit card issuers and holders who fell victim to the service, a prominent U.S.-based payment processing company had its systems exploited to conduct the card verifications. The police don’t disclose the name of the company.
Try2Check was one of the most popular card-checking platforms among cybercriminals, processing more than one million transactions per month, according to the indictment.
The U.S. State Department on Wednesday announced a reward of up to $10 million for anyone who can provide information leading to the arrest or conviction of Kulkov. The U.S. is also offering a separate reward of up to $1 million for information that will help to identify other key leaders of the Try2Check platform.
Although prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York issued a warrant for the arrest of Kulkov — charging him with access device fraud, computer intrusion, and money laundering — it’s unlikely that he will be detained unless he travels outside of Russia. The country’s constitution prohibits the extradition of its citizens, and rarely agrees to cooperate with foreign governments.
Daryna Antoniuk
is a reporter for Recorded Future News based in Ukraine. She writes about cybersecurity startups, cyberattacks in Eastern Europe and the state of the cyberwar between Ukraine and Russia. She previously was a tech reporter for Forbes Ukraine. Her work has also been published at Sifted, The Kyiv Independent and The Kyiv Post.