GoKawiilGerman authorities have shut down a relaunch version of the criminal marketplace 'Crimenetwork' that generated more than 3.6 million euros, and arrested its operator.
Crimenetwork was the largest online cybercrime marketplace in Germany, operating since 2012 and with 100,000 registered users. The platform enabled the sale of illegal services, substances, and stolen data.
In late 2024, the Public Prosecutor's Office in Frankfurt am Main, the Central Office for Combating Cybercrime (ZIT), and the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) dismantled the operation by seizing the platform and arresting one of its administrators.
Just a few days later, a new version of the Crimenetwork emerged on a new infrastructure administered by a new operator.
Earlier this week, a 35-year-old German man suspected of administering the new Crimenetwork was arrested at his residence in Mallorca, Spain, by a special unit of the Spanish National Police under a European arrest warrant.
“The suspect is accused of having built and administered a completely new technical infrastructure only a few days after the shutdown of the previous version of Crimenetwork and the arrest of its former administrator in December 2024, also naming it Crimenetwork,” the BKA said in a press release.
The rebooted version of the cybercrime platform offered a similar range of illicit goods and services, and quickly amassed 22,000 users and over 100 vendors.
In terms of revenue, evidence gathered during the police action suggests that the new version of Crimenetwork had generated at least €3.6 million ($4.2 milion) in revenue.
The police also seized approximately €194,000 ($228,000) in allegedly illicit assets and obtained substantial amounts of user and transaction data to facilitate further investigation.
“The reboot of Crimenetwork has failed, and another administrator will have to answer before a German court,” stated Carsten Meywirth, Director at the Federal Criminal Police in Germany.
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