Overview of Feshop: What is it and how does it operate?

What Is Feshop?

Feshop (also known as Feshop.ru) was a notorious darknet marketplace that specialized in selling stolen credit card data and full identity packages (commonly known as "fullz"). Active for nearly a decade, it became one of the largest and most well-known carding shops on the dark web before it was eventually shut down by law enforcement in 2021.

Feshop allowed cybercriminals to buy stolen financial data in bulk, often categorized and filtered by location, card type, bank, and other metadata.

🏪 What Did Feshop Sell?

Feshop sold a variety of illicit digital products, mainly:

Credit card data (CVVs):

Including number, expiration date, CVV code, and billing address.

Fullz:

Complete identity profiles with name, address, DOB, SSN, phone number, email, etc.

Bank logins:

Online banking credentials for account takeovers.

RDP access:

Remote Desktop Protocol credentials for accessing infected systems.

Drop services:

Addresses and identities to which goods purchased with stolen cards could be shipped.

⚙️ How Did Feshop Operate?

🔒 1. Access and Registration

Operated on the clearnet and later moved to the dark web via Tor.

Registration often required invites or referral codes to prevent infiltration.

Used CAPTCHAs, anti-bot tools, and manual vetting for security.

🛍 2. Inventory Browsing

Users could filter card data by:

Country

Bank (via BIN)

Card type (Visa, MasterCard, Amex)

Balance estimates

Verified status

Listings came with detailed metadata, including:

IP address of the cardholder

Whether 3D Secure (like Verified by Visa) was enabled

Whether it was "live" (recently verified)

💸 3. Payment Methods

All purchases were made using cryptocurrency, primarily:

Bitcoin (BTC)

Monero (XMR) for more privacy

Wallets were built into the platform, and users could preload funds to shop instantly.

📦 4. Purchasing & Downloading

After purchase, buyers would download:

Card dumps (.txt or .csv files)

Login credentials or RDP information

Fullz profiles

Some cards included usage tips or guides on how to maximize success with fraud.

📬 5. Support & Community

Feshop had:

Built-in customer support tickets

Reputation/rating systems for buyers and vendors

Tutorials and FAQs on how to use the data

Live chat channels (IRC/XMPP) for trading advice

🧩 Why Was Feshop So Popular?

Large and organized inventory

One of the most diverse sources for carding data worldwide.

Built-in quality control

"Live" checkers verified the card's usability before purchase.

Low entry barrier

Anyone with crypto and internet access could buy stolen data.

Global reach

Cards from the US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia, and more were readily available.

Consistent uptime

Compared to smaller markets, Feshop maintained reliable service and a loyal user base.

🚔 Feshop Shutdown

In January 2021, Feshop was seized and shut down by law enforcement agencies, including:

U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)

Europol

Various international cybercrime units

The takedown was part of a larger operation targeting global dark web marketplaces. Authorities also seized related servers, arrested admins, and traced crypto payments.

⚠️ Impact of Feshop’s Operation

Millions of victims worldwide had their personal data traded.

Banks and merchants lost billions to fraud.

Cybercrime networks were able to expand thanks to easy access to stolen data.

Even after its closure, its operational model inspired new carding platforms, many of which now use Telegram, Discord, or decentralized web tech.

TL;DR:

Feshop was a major carding marketplace where cybercriminals bought stolen credit card and identity data. It operated like a dark web version of Amazon for fraudsters, with searchable listings, live validation, crypto payments, and global inventory—until law enforcement finally shut it down in 2021.