Recently, the organizers of one of the largest English-language carding forums Gh0stMarket were convicted. When the police arrested two minors who tried to pay with a stolen credit card at a hotel, it never occurred to law enforcement that these guys were the creators of one of the largest carder forums, Gh0stMarket. Interestingly, quite successful carders, apparently forgetting about caution, decided to pay for their stay in the hotel using a stolen credit card (the amount of the invoice is 1 thousand pounds sterling). This happened back in October 2009, when one of the attackers was 18 years old, the other — 17.
One of the carders had a laptop with him, which the police decided to check just in case. What was their surprise when data on 100 thousand stolen credit cards were found on this laptop, plus administrative data on the Gh0stMarket forum, the creators of which have been searched for a long time. The forum's user base is estimated to include 8,000 carders from all over the world.
Interestingly, after the arrest, the guys did not look for ways out of this situation, but began to threaten the police, right in the best traditions of domestic chats (like "I'll find out where you live, and you'll feel bad"). After some time, the carders were released on bail, and they decided to go to a resort in Majorca (it seems that when released on bail, they are given a recognizance not to leave, no?). After a rest, the guys returned home, and they were "picked up" immediately at the airport.
After investigating the case of carders, the police found out that they not only administered the forum, but also actively used the data of stolen credit cards themselves, being real professionals in their field (only very careless professionals, apparently). The forum itself published manuals like "using stolen credit cards on eBay", information on how to remain anonymous while performing all these operations, and so on.
In general, the court, having considered all aspects of the case, decided to award one person 4 years of imprisonment, the other-5 years. The police also arrested the accomplices of our craftsmen, awarding some several years in prison, others-many days of correctional labor. Such lenient sentences, according to representatives of the court, were issued only because of the youth of the attackers.
