Tor Carding Forum Explained
The Tor Carding Forum (TCF) was a Tor-based forum specializing in the trade of stolen credit card details, identity theft and currency counterfeiting. The site was founded by an individual known as 'Verto' who also founded the now defunct Evolution darknet market.[1]
The site required $50 for registration.[2] [3]
A 2013 investigation into counterfeit banknotes in Pittsburgh led to a source of Ugandan fakes being identified as having been purchased via the Tor Carding Forums.[4] By December 2014 Ryan Andrew Gustafson a.k.a. "Jack Farrel" and "Willy Clock", a US citizen living in Uganda was arrested for large scale sale of counterfeit United States currency by the U.S. Secret Service which was being sold through the Tor Carding Forums as well as other crime forums.[5]
In December 2014 the site closed following a hack, directing users to Evolution's forums.[6] [7]
In June 2015 a dark web researcher identified the clearnet IP address of a similar hidden service branded 'The Tor Carding Forum V2'[8] which was subsequently shut down.[9]
Notes and References
- News: Wired Staff. The Most Dangerous People on the Internet Right Now. 1 August 2015. 1 January 2015.
- News: Kiell. A Carder's First Experience. 31 July 2015. 11 December 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20150418111640/http://www.deepdotweb.com/2014/12/11/a-carders-first-experience/. 18 April 2015. dead.
- News: Greenberg. Andy. The Dark Web Gets Darker With Rise of the 'Evolution' Drug Market. 31 July 2015. 18 September 2014.
- News: Rohrlich. Justin. The Counterfeiting Missionary and the Fake Pittsburgh Playboy. 31 July 2015. 27 January 2015.
- News: Krebs. Brian. Alleged Counterfeiter "Willy Clock" Arrested. 31 July 2015. December 2014.
- News: Farivar. Cyrus. After Silk Road takedowns, Dark Web drug sites still thriving. 1 August 2015. 19 December 2014.
- News: DeepDotWeb. Evolution Marketplace Staff Speak: We are growing fast!. 16 August 2015. 10 May 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20151008053727/https://www.deepdotweb.com/2014/05/10/evolution-marketplace-staff-speak-we-are-growing-fast/. 8 October 2015. dead.
- News: Cox. Joseph. This Researcher Is Hunting Down IP Addresses of Dark Web Sites. 31 July 2015. 22 June 2015.
- News: Guthrie Weissman. Cale. The dark web is growing but people have already figured out how to track down its most hidden websites. 8 December 2015. 23 June 2015.