US Department of Justice seizes Virtualine domain

The U.S. Department of Justice has seized the domain of Virtualine, a bulletproof hosting provider accused of facilitating the distribution of child sexual abuse material, nonconsensual intimate imagery, and international money laundering.

Court documents and investigations by blockchain firm Chainalysis indicate that Virtualine marketed its services on cybercrime forums, explicitly permitting activities such as phishing, carding, and spam. The provider reportedly offered an “additional protection plan” designed to evade law enforcement by moving criminal infrastructure to shell companies upon receiving official requests.

The seizure was part of a coordinated operation involving the FBI and several international agencies, including the Hessen State Police, the National Police Corps of the Netherlands, and the U.K. National Crime Agency. While Virtualine’s operator issued a letter refuting the allegations and claiming they terminate offending customers, investigators allege the service knowingly hosted criminal forums despite numerous notifications from law enforcement and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).