A crime forum is a generic term for an
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are often longer than one line of text, and are at least temporar ...
specialising in
computer crime
A cybercrime is a crime that involves a computer or a computer network.Moore, R. (2005) "Cyber crime: Investigating High-Technology Computer Crime," Cleveland, Mississippi: Anderson Publishing. The computer may have been used in committing th ...
and
Internet fraud
Internet fraud is a type of cybercrime fraud or deception which makes use of the Internet and could involve hiding of information or providing incorrect information for the purpose of tricking victims out of money, property, and inheritance. Inte ...
activities such as
hacking, Online Identity Theft, Phishing, Pharming, Malware Attacks or
spamming
Spamming is the use of messaging systems to send multiple unsolicited messages (spam) to large numbers of recipients for the purpose of commercial advertising, for the purpose of non-commercial proselytizing, for any prohibited purpose (especial ...
.
During the early days of the Internet public
dial up BBSes would serve to put miscreants in touch with one another to share tips of
credit card fraud
Credit card fraud is an inclusive term for fraud committed using a payment card, such as a credit card or debit card. The purpose may be to obtain goods or services or to make payment to another account, which is controlled by a criminal. The P ...
,
hacking and other illicit services.
By the 2000s and the rise of the web, modern Internet forum software was preferred, with private invite-only sites being the most long lived. Sites like
ShadowCrew
ShadowCrew was a cybercrime forum that operated under the domain name ShadowCrew.com between August 2002 and November 2004.
Origins
The concept of the ShadowCrew was developed in early 2002 during a series of chat sessions between Brett Johnso ...
, counterfeitlibrary.com and the Russian language carderplanet.com would specialise in various illegal activities before each eventually succumbing to law enforcement action.
By 2015 notorious forums such as
Darkode
dark0de, also known as Darkode, is a cybercrime forum and black marketplace described by Europol as "the most prolific English-speaking cybercriminal forum to date". This site which was launched in 2007, serves as a venue for the sale and trade ...
would be infiltrated and dismantled prior to returning with increased security.
As of July 2015 there are estimated to be several hundred such forums.
See also
*
Carding (fraud)
Carding is a term describing the trafficking and unauthorized use of credit cards. The stolen credit cards or credit card numbers are then used to buy prepaid gift cards to cover up the tracks. Activities also encompass exploitation of persona ...
*
Darknet market
A darknet market is a commercial website on the dark web that operates via darknets such as Tor or I2P. They function primarily as black markets, selling or brokering transactions involving drugs, cyber-arms, weapons, counterfeit currency, stole ...
*
Hacker (computer security)
A security hacker is someone who explores methods for breaching defenses and exploiting weaknesses in a computer system or network. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, such as profit, protest, information gathering, challenge ...
*
Hacker group
Hacker groups are informal communities that began to flourish in the early 1980s, with the advent of the home computer.
Overview
Prior to that time, the term ''hacker'' was simply a referral to any computer hobbyist. The hacker groups were out ...
*
Operation Shrouded Horizon
Operation Shrouded Horizon was an 18-month international law enforcement investigation culminating in the July 2015 seizure of Darkode, an online cybercrime forum and black market, and the arrest of several of its members. The case involved law ...
*
Nulled
Nulled is an online cracking forum.
In 2016, Nulled became known as a target of a data breach which helped law enforcement to obtain information about possible 'suspects', who were registered on Nulled.
Data breach
On 16 May 2016, Nulled ...
References
Cybercrime
Internet forums
Internet fraud
Crime forums
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Can ...
Dark web
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