US authorities have announced the closure of Try2Check, a credit card verification service popular with cybercriminals. Charges have been brought against Russian citizen Denis Gennadyevich Kulkov, the alleged owner and creator of the service, who is believed to have earned tens of millions of dollars (at least $18 million in cryptocurrency) from checking stolen bank cards.
Try2Check was created in 2005 and quickly gained popularity among cybercriminals who traded in stolen bank cards. It was primarily used by those who bought or sold cards in bulk, as carders often needed to check the validity and activity of cards in a dump. The platform charged 20 cents for each check.
Not only cardholders and issuers suffered from the work of Try2Check, but also an unnamed American payment processing company, whose systems were used to conduct checks. The US government, German and Austrian law enforcement agencies have now shut down the service.
According to the US Department of Justice, Try2Check conducted tens of millions of credit card checks per year and supported the operations of large card stores that generated hundreds of millions in bitcoin profits. In the nine months of 2018, the site completed at least 16 million checks, and in the 13 months starting in September 2021, the site completed at least 17 million checks.
The US State Department and the US Secret Service have also announced a $10 million reward for any information leading to the capture and arrest of Kulkov, who currently resides in Russia.
