The seizure of the SSNDOB Marketplace was announced by United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg of the Middle District of Florida, situated in Tampa.
It is a collection of websites that have been used to sell personal information such as names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers of U.S. residents for years.
The SSNDOB Marketplace sold the personal information of nearly 24 million people in the United States for more than $19 million.
The SSNDOB administrators, according to the Department of Justice, advertised the marketplace's services on dark web criminal forums.
They offered customer service and monitored the sites' activity on a regular basis, including when buyers placed money into their accounts.
Using online monikers, strategically keeping servers in several locations, and requiring purchasers to make digital payment, such as bitcoin, the administrators used a variety of strategies to safeguard their privacy.