The U.S. investigation was led by CI Cyber Crimes Unit and the FBI – Tampa Division, with assistance from the CI Tampa Field Office. Substantial assistance was also provided by the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the FBI’s Legal Attaché Offices responsible for Latvia and Cyprus, the Latvian Police, and the Cypriot authorities. The U.S. investigation was led by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Cyber Crimes Unit and the Federal Bureau of Investigation – Tampa Division, with assistance from the IRS-Criminal Investigation’s Tampa Field Office.
Fraud Detection Systems
Thus the name SSNDOB Market that you see in the headline – an online data bazaar that wanted visitors to know that it sold at least matched-up SSNs and DOBs, along with other personally identifiable information (PII). Furthermore, as we wrote about just yesterday, data in our Active Adversary Playbook 2022 suggests that an increasing number of network intrusions aren’t about disruptive ransomware attacks, they’re about taking the time to accumulate corporate data to sell on to other crooks. Go to the source of truth in real-time, with the first provider in history to offer eCBSV. By notifying customers early and providing actionable security measures, businesses reduce the impact of data breaches, limit financial losses, and enhance user trust.
Feds Seize SSNDOB Marketplace That Listed Personal Data Of 24 Million People
The operators of SSDOB are said to have employed various techniques to protect their anonymity and to thwart detection of their activities, including using online monikers that were distinct from their true identities and strategically maintaining servers in various countries, the DOJ said. On June 7, 2022, seizure orders were executed against the domain names of the SSNDOB Marketplace (ssndob.ws, ssndob.vip, ssndob.club, and blackjob.biz), effectively ceasing the website’s operation. Fullz are often used for identity theft, account takeovers, loan fraud, or other financial scams. The availability of fullz on dark web marketplaces and forums poses significant risks to individuals and businesses alike. The dark web presents a complex and treacherous world, filled with illegal activities and hidden dangers.
As you can imagine, data breaches where crooks get hold of personal data that includes SSNs rarely come away with just those SSNs, given that few database files include a list of SSNs and no other data at all. …and, in theory at least, you can keep trimming the probability down until it’s as good as certain that the only way someone could provide all the data you’re requesting is if they were, indeed, the true owner of the the SSN they presented to start with. Unfortunately, however, knowing someone’s SSN (or the equivalent personal identifier in your country) is a good starting point if you’re an identity thief, because it can often be combined with other personal information to get past identity checks.
How To Protect Against Fullz Fraud
Even if you manage to acquire a valid SSN, using it for illegal activities can have far-reaching consequences. The repercussions can include damaging someone else’s life, negatively impacting their credit, or causing them immense stress and hardship. The innocent individuals whose SSNs are being traded on the Dark Web often bear the brunt of these criminal activities.
Good Password Ideas And Tips For Secure Accounts
These closures show that cryptocurrency is far from the anonymous, crime-friendly mode of exchange it’s been characterized as in the past. Over and over, illicit services that embrace cryptocurrency have opened themselves up to law enforcement scrutiny and been shut down, in large part because of the inherent transparency of blockchains. Most funds sent to SSNDOB have come from centralized and P2P cryptocurrency exchanges, as well as other services. Interestingly, roughly 10% of funds sent to SSNDOB have come from cryptocurrency ATMs, a higher proportion than we typically see for most services, including darknet markets and other illicit providers.
Why Buy A New SSN Online
TBH, I didn’t start off with to “servers” in the headline, to avoid the ambiguity you mentioned, but I ended up doing so because the word “domain” isn’t exactly plain English. The DOJ says that the site’s operators made more than $19,000,000 over the past few years, handing this data on to willing buyers in return for pseudoanonymous payments, typically using Bitcoin. In other words, darkweb data brokers typically don’t just acquire and sell one sort of data point for each victim. When crooks penetrate company networks, for instance, they often go after HR records because employers are usually required both by law and operational necessity to collect significant amounts of personal information about each employee.
Visitors to any of ssndob.ws, ssndob.vip, ssndob.club and blackjob.biz will no longer end up where they were probably expecting. Unfortunately, the DOJ hasn’t arrested the suspected operators of the SSNDOB Market, but, with the help of law enforcement partners in Latvia and Cyprus, it did get a court warrant allowing it to take over the server names used by the crooked data brokers. Nevertheless, their meanings are widely known throughout the world, not least because of their widespread use in reports and discussions about identity theft and cybercrime.
The Electronic Consent Based SSN Verification Service
Cybercriminals can exploit this personal information for fraudulent activities, such as identity theft, credit card fraud, or opening false accounts. This creates a demand for SSNs on the Dark Web among individuals seeking to engage in illegal activities anonymously. CI is the criminal investigative arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money-laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. CI special agents are the only federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code, obtaining a more than a 90 percent federal conviction rate.
Access to such information does not imply association with, endorsement of, approval of, or recommendation by Chainalysis of the site or its operators, and Chainalysis is not responsible for the products, services, or other content hosted therein. The USA Trace SSN Verification tool – and other tools like it – do not match a social security number with a name. Social security number issue dates are not exact and sometimes give a year range rather than exact year of birth. Persons born overseas or who became US citizens later in life will also not have received their number at birth.
Catch Fraud
From December 2018 and June 2019, Chainalysis said SSNDOB “sent over $100,000 worth of Bitcoin to Joker’s Stash, suggesting the two markets may have had some relationship to one another, including possibly shared ownership.” The DOJ said the site has listed the information for more than 24 million people living in the U.S. An SSN is issued by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to US citizens, permanent residents, and temporary residents granted work authorization.
The SSNDOB Shutdown Is A Win Against Digital Fraud
Our free SSN Verification tool is for informational purposes only – misuse of our SSN verification and validation tool is strictly prohibited. Identity fraud is a large-scale issue, and we can help our client’s onboard candidates while confirming identities of any quantity. Get the Picus Blue Report 2025 now for a comprehensive look at more findings on prevention, detection, and data exfiltration trends. “Between December 2018 and June 2019, SSNDOB sent over $100,000 worth of Bitcoin to Joker’s Stash, suggesting the two markets may have had some relationship to one another, including possibly shared ownership.”
The takedown of SSNDOB is one of several conducted by the DOJ and other international law enforcement agencies in recent months as countries seek to limit the sale of sensitive personal information stolen during data breaches. Unlike the regular internet we use every day, which can be accessed through search engines like Google or websites with easily identifiable domain names, the Dark Web operates on a hidden network. It requires special software, such as Tor, to access websites that are not indexed by search engines and carry an anonymous presence. By implementing multi-layered identity verification, financial institutions can prevent fraudsters from using fullz to open fake accounts, apply for loans, or engage in other illicit activities.
- “Identity theft can have a devastating impact on a victim’s long-term emotional and financial health.
- Law enforcement agencies actively monitor Dark Web activities, and individuals involved in buying or selling SSNs can face criminal charges, including identity theft, fraud, and conspiracy.
- …and, in theory at least, you can keep trimming the probability down until it’s as good as certain that the only way someone could provide all the data you’re requesting is if they were, indeed, the true owner of the the SSN they presented to start with.
- Cybercriminals can exploit this personal information for fraudulent activities, such as identity theft, credit card fraud, or opening false accounts.
- According to court records, Chychasov and other Marketplace administrators advertised on dark web criminal forums for the Marketplace’s services, provided customer support functions, and regularly monitored the activities of the sites, including monitoring when purchasers deposited money into their accounts.
- One of the illicit trades that flourish within this hidden realm is the buying and selling of Social Security Numbers (SSN).
An SSN Verification for official purposes – for hiring, leasing, etc. – can be conducted with an FCRA accredited credit reporting agency. If you are trying to find your own social security security number, visit your local Social Security Administration office and they will be able to assist you. If you’re an employer or landlord, you cannot use the information from a free SSN validation for employment or renting decisions. Likewise, instant social security number validations can’t be used for credit/lending decisions. A verification will not help you find someone with a social security number nor do they provide you with any other background check information. There is also no way to perform a social security lookup (i.e. to enter a name and get a social security number back).
