A Russian national who ran a criminal marketplace for selling stolen payment cards has pleaded guilty to multiple charges in a US Federal Court.
According to court documents, Aleksei Burkov, 29, ran a website called Cardplanet that sold payment card numbers that had been stolen primarily through computer intrusions.
The court heard that the hijacked data flogged on Burkov’s site resulted in over $20 million in fraudulent purchases made on US credit cards.
Additionally, Burkov ran another website that served as an invite-only club where elite cybercriminals could advertise stolen goods, such as personal identifying information and malicious software, and criminal services, such as money laundering and hacking services. To join the club, prospective members needed three existing members to “vouch” for their good reputation among cybercriminals and to provide a sum of money, normally $5,000, as insurance.
Burkov was arrested at Ben-Gurion airport near Tel Aviv in December 2015 and extradited to the US on 11 November 2019
Burkov pleaded guilty to access device fraud and conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, identity theft, wire and access device fraud, and money laundering, and faces a maximum sentence of fifteen years in prison when sentenced on 8 May.