DARKMARKET

to the vendor and the dumps and PINs to the buyer. This simple device proved to be a touch of genius. From now on, the trade was protected and it boomed accordingly.

It was Boa's idea to bring the Family together to the First Worldwide Carders' Conference in the summer of 2002. So when his invitation to visit Odessa dropped on electronic doormats across the former Soviet Union, the recipients were only too willing to pay the airfare south (though naturally enough they were almost certainly charging it to someone else's credit card). Would a Catholic turn down the chance to visit Lourdes? Or a Muslim an opportunity to see Mecca? Well, no self-respecting criminal would pass up the offer of a week in Odessa.

The Planet was on top of the world. Its users raved about its money- making properties while hundreds of hackers, crackers and spammers waited nervously to see if the Cupola would grant them the precious privilege of membership.

Script prefaced the gathering by giving the first ever public interview by a major carder. Xakep.ru (Hacker magazine), which still publishes today, is the bible of the Russian underground, but even its readers were shocked to see Script reveal the secrets of the Planet in March 2002. 'What motivates someone to become a carder?' the magazine asked Script, pointing out that Russia's notorious Department R was created to hunt down carders and their ilk.

Script: They're motivated by what their hearts and minds tell them. Science has shown that people who take risks experience a rush of the so-called happiness hormone. That hormone, multiplied by whatever quantity of rustling dollar bills, plays the fundamental, decisive part in motivating someone to keep working in this not entirely honest industry.

Hacker: Guilt-free?

Script: Guilt-free. Not only because anyone can cancel any payment even after a long period of time has elapsed just by sending the bank a statement to that effect, but also because carding isn't as heinous an occupation as it might seem. It's a lot less shameful than robbery. We