The US has indicted a Kazakhstani national and a Russian national for operating several dark web sites facilitating the trading of personal, payment card, and banking information.
According to the indictment, the two, Alex Khodyrev, 35, of Kazakhstan, and Pavel Kublitskii, 37, of Russia, were the main administrators of wwh-club.ws (WWH Club) and several sister websites between 2014 and 2024.
Representing dark web marketplaces, forums, and training centers, these websites allowed members to sell and buy various types of sensitive information, including personal identifying information (PII), card and bank account information, and credentials.
Site members used the forums to discuss techniques for mounting cyberattacks, committing fraud, and evading law enforcement. WWH Club, the indictment alleges, also offered courses on how miscreants could commit fraud.
Khodyrev, Kublitskii, and others monetized the dark web marketplaces and forums through membership fees, advertising revenue, and tuition fees, the indictment alleges. WWH Club is estimated to have had roughly 353,000 users worldwide in 2023.
The two had been living in Miami for two years and continued administering the dark web sites before being arrested and indicted.
Khodyrev and Kublitskii were charged with access device fraud and wire fraud conspiracy and face up to 20 years in prison. Per the indictment, the US also intends to forfeit the defendants’ 2023 Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG and 2020 Cadillac CT5 Sport sedan vehicles, both alleged traceable to proceeds of the offenses.
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