UK police have arrested two teenagers as part of an investigation into what is believed to be the biggest English language cybercrime forum in the world.
The two males, aged 17 and 18, were arrested by the Met's Police Central e-Crime Unit (PCeU) and remain in custody on suspicion of encouraging or assisting crime, unauthorised access under the Misuse of Computer Act and conspiracy to commit fraud.
The arrests are part of an eight-month investigation into a global Web forum with almost 8000 members that has seen officers so far recover more than 65,000 compromised card numbers, which at an estimated industry loss of £120 per card, could have cost up to £7.9 million, claims the PCeU.
During the investigation officers have found evidence of the forum promoting and facilitating the electronic theft of personal information, credit and debit card fraud, buying and selling of personal information such as passwords and PINs, the creation and exchange of malware and tutorials providing advice on how to commit these crimes and avoid detection.
Members use screen nicknames to communicate anonymously on the site which has a managerial structure with an 'administrator' who allegedly created the site and has overall control, including the ability to allow or ban members and alter their status on the forum.
Officers have found around 29 forum topics, each displaying a brief description linked to infected computers, credit cards, phishing kits, tutorials and sites that have been carded.
Detective Chief Inspector Terry Wilson, MPS PCeU, says: "Today's arrests are an example of our increasing effort to combat online criminality and reduce national harm to the UK economy and public."