An international law enforcement operation led by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and Europol has taken offline LeakBase, a prominent cybercrime forum used to buy and sell stolen data and malicious tools. The site had over 142,000 members and more than 215,000 messages.
According to the FBI, agents seized users’ accounts, posts, credit details, private messages, and IP logs for evidence. The coordinated takedown took place March 3–4 and involved synchronized actions by authorities in 14 countries. After the operation, the site was replaced with seizure banners, members were issued prevention notices, and additional evidence was collected.
Search warrants and arrests were executed in the United States, Australia, Belgium, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain and the United Kingdom. US Department of Justice officials said the dismantlement disrupts a major international platform criminals used to traffic in stolen personal, banking, and account credentials.
While LeakBase’s public material did not specifically highlight cryptocurrency accounts, its predecessor, the marketplace RaidForums (shut down in 2022), previously hosted leaked data including roughly 272,000 detailed personal records tied to crypto wallet firm Ledger users.
The takedown comes amid a broader rise in leaked and exposed crypto-related data over the past year. Notable incidents include reports that criminals bribed overseas customer service contractors in May 2025 to access Coinbase internal systems and steal personal data; the leak of nearly 60,000 Bitcoin addresses tied to LockBit’s ransomware infrastructure after an affiliate panel breach; and an incident in February where a trader known as TraderSZ said a former Revolut employee threatened to expose his identity and contact his family unless paid a ransom.
Cointelegraph states this article was produced under its Editorial Policy and encourages readers to verify information independently.
