The dark web, also known as the “underbelly of the internet,” is an anonymous network of websites. You can access the dark web using specific software only. Though it has some legitimate uses, it has become a marketplace for illicit activities. One such illicit activity is the dark web credit card. We’ll learn everything we need to know about it in this article.
Buying and selling stolen credit card information on the dark web is illegal, but it’s a practice now rooted deep in the system. Even with strict punishments, dark web credit card stealing is at an all-time high. If we believe the data, more than 65% of the overall credit card holders have been duped at some point.
Knowing about the dark web credit card reality is essential with this alarming crime rate. This information will help you understand the nuances of dark web credit cards, helping you protect your data and credit cards from such fraud.
Read more: Hacked Credit Card with Balance
How do Dark Web Credit Cards work?
More than being a place for the secure transmission of information and communication, the dark web has become the breeding ground for illegal activities. The most common activities are the unlawful transfer of drugs, explicit data, firearm deals, and dark web credit card fraud.
The dark web credit card is one of the most bankable scams on the dark web. The reason is huge amounts of data available to buy dark web credit cards. It’s almost as easy as shopping from your favorite website.
Before digging deep into how to buy cc from the dark web, it’s important to note that stealing a credit card is a serious crime, and one should not involve themselves in any such activity. Law enforcement constantly checks the dark web, and anyone guilty must bear the repercussions.
Only for informational purposes and to protect oneself from the scam, it’s essential to know how to buy cc from the dark web. Here are the steps involved:
- Look for a stolen credit card vendor on the dark web marketplaces.
- Skim through the listings available. To find the required listings, you’ll have to look for card holder’s details like their name, card number, and expiration date.
- Buy dark web credit cards using cryptocurrency.
- The dark web credit card is received via an encrypted message.
- You can purchase online or offline using this dark web credit card information.
Types of Stolen Dark Web Credit Cards
There are two types of dark web credit cards:
Dumps and Fullz
Dumps have negligible value and risk, while the Fullz credit cards’ dark web value and, therefore, the risk is the highest.
How Dark Web Credit Cards Stolen Works Online?
The scammers follow different tactics to steal credit card information. The most common ones target e-commerce websites through phishing attempts and data breaches for this purpose. Other ways include installing skimmers at ATMs and other sources of card swiping.
Here is a detailed description of how scammers steal information from the credit card dark web.
1. Skimming
Skimming is the process of stealing information from credit cards using physical means. For this, the scammers install a device called ‘skimmer’ on credit card machines, like the ones used on various retail outlets. The device reads the data and steals the information from the credit cards swiped at the source.
2. Phishing
Phishing is the most common trick that cybercriminals use to steal financial information. They come up with new and creative tricks to fool the cardholders. Some most common ones are: sending messages as a legitimate company asking for a code or leading them to a link. All these are ploys to steal information from the credit card dark web.
3. Malware
Malware is a virus that illegally enters your computer system, stealing all the information it needs.
4. Hacking
Hacking in cyber security refers to the misuse of devices like computers, smartphones, tablets, and networks to cause damage to the systems. After hacking a device, cybercriminals can steal any information on users.
5. Physical theft
The most common and easy one is stealing credit cards physically.
6. Public WiFi
Using a random WiFi network is unsafe as it is like a hot spot for all scammers to plant malicious software into your devices. Once they access your device, stealing information or hacking becomes a piece of cake.
Read more: 10 Signs Your Credit Card Has Been Hacked
How to Protect Yourself from Dark Web Credit Cards Scam?
Cybersixgill’s cyber threat intelligence provides businesses with continuous monitoring, prioritized real-time alerts, and tips to protect themselves from cyber threats. Some of these suggestions include:
1. Keep a check on your bank accounts
Monitor your financial statements and adopt the practice of checking them regularly. This will help you in keeping a check on suspicious activities or any unwelcome login attempts. Some banks also push out notifications and confirmation emails if their systems register any suspicious activity.
2. Be aware of what you receive in your emails
Some phishing emails look exactly like your regular service providers and ask you to send an OTP or a code. Such emails contain random links claiming to be something that they are not. You must be extra cautious to avoid opening any such link or providing an OTP you’re unsure about.
3. Create strong and unique passwords.
Humans, being the slaves of habit, are more inclined to use the same kinds of passwords for most of their accounts. This is not an ideal practice. Instead, one must create strong and unique passwords using a password manager. Especially for your banks or financial accounts, the passwords must be strong and unique to that account only. You must also enable multi-factor authentication for extra protection.
4. Beware of too-good-to-be-true schemes and discounts.
Who doesn’t love great deals? Collecting coupon codes is one of our generation’s favorite hobbies. However, as tempting as these promotional messages seem, it is vital to check the authenticity of the mail before opening any suspicious-looking link. Sometimes a virus can be laced within these tempting emails.
5. Using PureVPN
Using PureVPN can create a private and secure connection to the internet and reduce the risk of getting your stolen set of dark web credit cards. This software encrypts the traffic before routing it to a remote server.
PureVPN uses all the safety protocols to prevent others from hacking your system.
Some Facts about Dark Web Credit Cards
As per Cybersixgill’s “Underground Financial Fraud H1 2022 report,” more than 4.5 million dark web credit cards were up for sale during the first half of 2022. Though the number is significantly lesser than the 14 million credit cards dark web reported in 2021, it is still significant.
One interesting fact to note here is almost half of the total dark web credit cards on sale are from the United States. The reason could be the high number of credit card consumers in the US.
Another reason for this data could be the increasing use of EMV cards. These cards have a security chip installed, providing better protection than those with just a magnetic stripe. Since European countries have quickly adopted the EMV trend, the theft cases and percentages are lesser than in the US.
The least percentage of dark web credit cards come from Russia, which could be because of the high number of hackers coming from Russia. As stated by Cybersixgill, the hackers target the credit card dark web from other countries.
Dark Web Credit Cards – FAQs
What are some of the benefits of using a VPN on your system?
Ans. VPN ensures that your system is safe and you only access a secure network. Some of the benefits of VPN are:
- Accessing websites without any worry.
- No fear of using public WiFi.
- Only encrypted traffic is directed to your system.
- Freedom to access any website as a hidden IP address protects your online activity.
Explain how to buy cc from the dark web.
Ans. Here is a quick guide on how to buy cc from the dark web:
- Look for a vendor in the marketplaces for dark web credit cards.
- Review the available listings of credit cards dark web, i.e., name, card number, and expiry date.
- Buy dark web credit cards using cryptocurrency.
- Get the credit cards dark web delivered using an encrypted messaging service.
What is meant by carding in terms of credit card’s dark web?
Ans. Carding is probably the most popular scam on the credit card’s dark web. It is also called stuff carding, meaning buying stuff from stolen dark web credit cards.
Is it legal to buy dark web credit cards?
Ans. Surfing on the dark web, communicating, or transferring private information is legal. However, buying credit card information from the dark web is illegal and leads to severe penalties from the government.
What is the average cost of dark web credit cards?
Ans. The average cost of one stolen credit card’s information is US $17.36, with about $0.0033 per dollar of the credit limit. The price of a physical or cloned credit card goes up to $171, with $0.0575 per dollar of the credit limit.