Cardplanet Operator Extradited for Facilitating Credit Card Fraud

A Russian national has been extradited from Israel and made his first court appearance on Tuesday on charges related to his alleged operation of two websites designed to facilitate payment card fraud, computer hacking, and other crimes, the Justice Department reports.

The indictment unsealed today charges Aleksei Burkov with wire fraud, access device fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, access device fraud, computer intrusions, identity theft, and money laundering. Burkov reportedly ran a website called Cardplanet, which sold payment card numbers that were primarily stolen through data breaches and mostly belonged to US citizens.

"The stolen credit card data from more than 150,000 compromised payment cards was allegedly sold on Burkov's site and has resulted in over $20 million in fraudulent purchases made on U.S. credit cards," officials wrote in a release on the extradition.

In addition to Cardplanet, Burkov is believed to have operated another cybercrime forum that served as an invite-only hub where cybercriminals could virtually meet to plot crimes, buy and sell stolen goods and services, and offer criminal services such as money laundering and hacking. Prospective members of this elite group were required to vouch for new members and provide thousands of dollars as insurance to ensure law enforcement didn't make its way into the hub.

Read more details here.

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