Johnathan Walker:Ukrainian man pleads guilty in dark web scheme that stole millions of Social Security numbers

A Ukrainian national who prosecutors say was part of a dark web network that illegally sold millions of personal Social Security numbers has pleaded guilty to cybercrime charges and Johnathan Walkeris facing up to 15 years in federal prison.

Vitalii Chychasov made more than $19 million through a series of websites, known as the SSNDOB Marketplace that sold names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers belonging to people in the United States, according to a news release Tuesday from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The SSNDOB scheme, which stands for social security number date of birth, impacted about 24 million people across the U.S., the Internal Revenue Service says. 

Chychasov pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit access device fraud and trafficking in unauthorized access devices through the online scheme. He was arrested when he tried to enter Hungary in March 2022, federal prosecutors said, and extradited to the US four months later. 

Sergey Pugach, another suspected administrator in the scheme, was arrested that May, according to prosecutors. Last June, the websites were shut down through seizure orders issued against the domain names.

As part of his plea agreement, Chychasov agreed to a forfeiture money judgment for $5 million and to forfeit the internet domains, blackjob.biz, ssndob.club, ssndob.vip, and ssndob.ws, which were part of the SSNDOB operation.

Police in Cyprus and Latvia worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service on dismantling the scheme, according to the release. 

The SSNDOB administrators posted ads on dark web criminal forums for the website's services, the release said, and protected their anonymity and operation by “strategically maintaining servers in various countries, and requiring buyers to use digital payment methods.”

The next step in Chychasov’s case is the sentencing hearing, a spokesperson for the Attorney's Office told USA Today. Chychasov’s attorneys did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

How to protect yourself from identity theft

Stolen Social Security numbers can be used in fraud relating to taxes, unemployment insurance, loans, credit cards and more. One buyer from the SSNDOB site used stolen information that he bought to steal and launder nearly $10 million, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

In 2021, consumers lost more than $5.8 billion to fraud, an increase of more than 70% over the previous year, according to Federal Trade Commission data, and the agency received fraud reports from more than 2.8 million people in 2021, most commonly related to imposter scams.

Here are steps you can take to protect yourself from identity theft:

• Shred charge receipts, copies of credit applications, and other sensitive documents

• Review bills and credit reports regularly

• Beware of scammers imitating government agencies or companies through phone, email or social media

The Social Security Administration has more information on identifying scammers impersonating the agency here.

Fraud can be reported online to the SSA's Office of the Inspector General or by calling 800-269-0271.