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UniCC, the worlds leading dark web marketplace for stolen credit cards, is shutting down operations after raking more than $358 million in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ether, Litecoin, and Dash since 2013.

News about UniCC shutting down broke on various Russian and English dark web forums. The marketplace is shutting down in less than a year since the retirement of Joker’s Stash (January 2021) that stole more than $400 million in credit cards and debit cards.

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(Image: Elliptic)

In a farewell message, the UniCC team said that users have ten days to spend their balance. They also said not to follow any fake news about their comeback.

Dark web platforms like UniCC and Joker’s Stash have been working as an underground marketplace where stolen credit card details from online banks, retailers, and other companies are exchanged for cryptocurrency. The cards are used to purchase high-value products and gift cards.

According to Elliptic researchers:

“The porcess is known as ‘carding,’ and it has become a key part of the cybercriminal’s playbook. The technique is very profitable in its own right, but it is also used to help launder and cash-out cryptocurrency obtained through other types of cybercrime.”

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Screenshot of stolen credit cards for sale on UniCC (Image: Elliptic)

UniCC has been active on the dark web since 2013 and has made a total of $358 million in cryptocurrency. Each day, tens of thousands of stolen credit cards were listed for sale at a relatively low price compared to its competitors.

According to Elliptic’s research after the retirement of Joker’s Stash in January 2021, UniCC quickly took the spot with a 30% market share.

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USD value of Bitcoin raked by UniCC and Joker’s Stash (Image: Elliptic)

The market for stolen credit cards has become very lucrative on the dark web. The total sales surpassed 1.4 billion in Bitcoin. The most prominent of the markets has been the All Worlds Card that emerged in May 2021 and has since dumped 1 million stolen credit cards for free on the dark web. Most credit cards were stolen from the State Bank of India, Sutton Bank, and Banco Santander.

2021 saw the closure of major illicit marketplaces on the dark web. In October 2021, White House Market shut down, followed by Cannazon and Torrez. Additionally, at the start of 2022, the Monopoly Market became inaccessible.

The wave of departures has triggered the retirement of UniCC. It is mostly done to avoid increased attention from law enforcement authorities. As in July 2021, the FBI seized Slilpp stolen cards market. Slilpp stole more than $22 million in Bitcoin. As UniCC shuts down, we will see who takes the top place in carding market.