West Mercia Police Cyber Crime team has supported the National Crime Agency and FBI to take down one of the biggest online marketplaces.
Known for selling stolen credentials to criminals worldwide Genesis Market was the target of the joint operation involving 18 countries and led by the FBI and Dutch National Police.
On Tuesday (4 April) the successful operation saw the site taken offline.
Genesis Market was a go-to service for criminals seeking to defraud victims, having hosted approximately 80 million credentials and digital fingerprints stolen from over two million people.
As part of the investigation, the NCA identified hundreds of UK-based users of the platform and worked together with policing partners across the country. This resulted in warrants being executed, arrests and preventative action in coordinated raids by the NCA, Regional Cyber Crime Units and Force Cyber Crime Units.
The joint operation took place over two days earlier this week (Tuesday 4 April and Wednesday 5 April). Nine people were arrested regionally.
Detective Sergeant Steve Lloyd from West Mercia Police’s Cyber Crime Unit said “I am incredibly proud of the role my team played and how they represented West Mercia Police over the last two days. I have no doubt that this enforcement has protected the West Mercia public specifically in tacking fraud and preventing further people from becoming victims.”
Rob Jones, NCA Director General NECC and Threat Leadership, said: “Behind every cyber criminal or fraudster is the technical infrastructure that provides them with the tools to execute their attacks and the means to benefit financially from their offending.”
Members of the public can check whether their data has been compromised and accessed by criminals on Genesis Market by visiting Politie and inputting their email address.
Those who have been affected are encouraged to report this to Action Fraud
The NCA has also collaborated with the National Cyber Security Centre and City of London Police to devise five steps for members of the public to follow in order to protect their devices and online accounts. This can be accessed on the NCA website.
Rob Jones added: “Cybercrime is a key enabler of the vast majority of fraud, which is now the single largest crime type in the UK, affecting more people than any other.”
