The German authorities have successfully confiscated the infrastructure of the cybercrime marketplace known as Nemesis Market, which operates on the darknet. This action has effectively disrupted the functioning of the aforementioned site.
On Wednesday, March 20, 2024, the Federal Criminal Police Office in Germany (BKA) and the Frankfurt cybercrime combating unit (ZIT) jointly executed an operation, wherein law enforcement successfully dismantled the website in question and seized an estimated sum of $100,000 in cash.
The Nemesis Market was established in 2021 as a novel marketplace for the acquisition of illicit drugs and narcotics, stolen data and credit cards, as well as a range of cybercrime services pertaining to ransomware, phishing, and distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks.
The platform strictly prohibits the sale of child abuse material, contract killing services, weapons, and Fentanyl-based substances.
At its zenith, Nemesis boasted a global presence, encompassing more than 150,000 user accounts and 1,100 seller accounts. Approximately 20% of these accounts were situated in Germany.
According to the official statement released by the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), the investigation into Nemesis Market commenced in October 2022. This operation involved the collaboration of various agencies from Germany, Lithuania, and the United States, including esteemed organizations such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).
The Nemesis Market website exhibits the seizure banner depicted below, duly notifying visitors that the platform is presently under the control of law enforcement authorities.
The data obtained during the operation will be utilized in the ongoing investigations targeting platform sellers and users, with the potential to reveal their identities and facilitate their apprehension.
The BKA has not provided any information regarding the identification or arrest of the server administrators or any of the core operators of the platform during the operation.
At the commencement of the month, the Düsseldorf Police in Germany apprehended 'Crimemarket,' a German-speaking marketplace that facilitated the sale of illicit drugs and cybercrime services. This platform boasted a substantial user base of 180,000 individuals. Consequently, six individuals, including a prominent operator, were detained by the authorities.
In December 2023, the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) and the Central Office for Combating Internet Crime (ZIT) successfully conducted an operation resulting in the seizure of the 'Kingdom Market,' a significant darknet marketplace. Additionally, one of the administrators of the marketplace was apprehended in the United States.
In April 2022, the German police achieved their most significant operation to date by successfully dismantling Hydra, the largest darknet market globally. This illicit platform boasted an extensive membership of 17,000,000 individuals and featured 19,000 registered sellers.
