View source for Darknet Crypto Kingpin JokerStash Retires After Illicit 1 Billion...

<br>By Tom Wilson<br> <br>LONDON, Feb 12 (Reuters) - The kingpin or kingpins of the world's biggest illicit credit card marketplace have retired after making an estimated fortune of over $1 billion in cryptocurrency, according to research by blockchain analysis firm Elliptic shared with Reuters.<br> <br>The "Joker's Stash" marketplace, where stolen credit cards and identity data traded hands for bitcoin and other digital coins, ceased operations this month,  [https://mydarkmarket.com darknet market] marketplace Elliptic said on Friday, in what it called a rare example of such a site bowing out on its own terms.<br> <br>Criminal use of cryptocurrencies has long worried regulators, with U.S.<br><br>Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde calling last month for tighter oversight.<br> <br>While terrorist financing and  [https://mydarkmarket.com dark market url] money laundering are top of law-enforcement concerns, narcotics, fraud, scams and ransomware are among the chief areas of illegal use of digital currencies, according to Elliptic co-founder Tom Robinson.<br> <br>Joker's Stash was launched in 2014, with its anonymous founder "JokerStash" - which could be one or more people - posting messages in both Russian and English,  darkmarket link Elliptic said.<br><br>It was available on the regular web and via the [https://mydarkmarket.com darknet market], which hosts marketplaces selling contraband.<br> <br>The [https://mydarkmarket.com darknet market], or darkweb, is a part of the internet that isn't visible to regular search engines, and requires a form of browser that hides a user's identity to access.<br> <br>Elliptic, whose clients include law-enforcement agencies and financial firms, estimates that JokerStash raked in more than $1 billion in profits in cryptocurrencies over the years, at current prices.<br><br>Bitcoin has soared from just over $300 in 2014 to hit a record $49,000 on Friday, pulling up other coins in its wake.<br> <br>The blockchain firm reached the over $1 billion figure by analysing the marketplace's revenue and the fees it charged, and said it was at the lower end of its estimates.<br> <br>In December, Interpol and the FBI seized the domain names used by the site, but it continued operating via the [https://mydarkmarket.com darknet market], Elliptic said website Cyber-security firm Digital Shadows also said in December that the [https://mydarkmarket.com darknet market] site remained live after the seizure.<br> <br>Interpol did not respond to a request for comment.<br><br>The FBI could not be reached outside regular business hours.<br> <br>Trading illegal credit cards is "a billion-dollar business," said Robinson. "It's also providing a means of cashing out other types of cyber-criminality."<br> <br>On Jan. 15. Joker's Stash posted a message announcing it would close permanently on Feb.<br>15. In fact it went offline on Feb. 3, Elliptic said.<br> <br>"Joker goes on a well-deserved retirement," said the message, which Reuters saw a screenshot of. "It's time for us to leave forever."<br> <br>Accompanying it was a picture of the 1862 painting "Sta´nczyk" by Polish artist Jan Matejko, which depicts a court jester sitting forlornly in a bedroom as a party goes on in the background.<br> <br>(Reporting by Tom Wilson; Editing by Pravin Char)<br>