LONDON – An eye-opening 2022 study from cybersecurity experts Privacy Affairs has detailed the astonishingly low price tags for personal information, including credit cards and bank accounts, on the Dark Web.

Their research concluded criminals using the dark web need only spend $1,115 for a complete set of a person’s account details, enabling them to create fake IDs and forge private documents, such as passports and driver’s licenses.

However, the cybersecurity and data privacy specialists revealed access to other information is becoming even cheaper. Their Dark Web Price Index 2022 – based on data scanning dark web marketplaces, forums, and websites, revealed:

  • Credit card details and associated information. Cost between $17–$120;
  • Online banking login information costs $45;
  • Hacked Facebook account: $45;
  • Cloned VISA with PIN: $20;
  • Stolen PayPal account details, minimum $1000 balances: $20.

In December 2021, about 4.5 million credit cards went up for sale on the Dark Web, the study found. The average price ranged from $1–$20.

Privacy Affairs CEO and Founder Miklos Zoltan said that with cybercrime a multi-billion dollar business, scammers could buy full credit card details, including CVV number, card number, associated dates, and even the email, physical address and phone number. This enables them to penetrate the credit card processing chain, overriding any security countermeasures.

In the past year, the Dark Web data market grew larger in total volume and product variety, so as supply grew, most prices plummeted, said Mr Zoltan. The review revealed sales volumes on the Dark Web data market in 2021 was way up. More than 9,000 active vendors selling fake IDs and credit cards reported sales in the several thousands.

More bogus credit card data, personal information, and documents were sold in 2021 compared to 2020, while products, like hacked cryptocurrency accounts and web services such as Uber, are more available.

Privacy Affairs revealed Crypto accounts, long thought to be impervious to hacking attacks, are also in vogue. Renowned cryptocurrency trading platforms and wallets, such as LocalBitcoins, Kraken, and Coinbase, featured in Dark Web listings ranging from $90 to $250.

Those with a taste for entertainment can buy access to paid online subscription services. A hacked Netflix 1-year subscription retails at $25; an HBO account is $4, a Bet365 account is $40, and a hacked Uber account will set a cybercriminal back $15.

Mr Zoltan said: “While we are increasingly living in a digital world, resulting in greater opportunities for ID theft and other cybercrimes, everyone should be taking more precautions when sharing their data online.”

Source: Privacy Affairs