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Moreover, it’s best to avoid public WiFi when accessing sensitive financial information or purchasing online. You should also check your credit card statements to detect suspicious activity and only enter your details on secure websites with HTTPS in the URL and a padlock icon in the address bar. Most systems limit the number of guesses you can make in a short space of time to prevent these kinds of attacks, hackers have ways to get around this limit.
The dark web is a part of the internet that is intentionally hidden and is inaccessible through standard web browsers. It is often associated with illegal activities, including the sale of stolen credit card information.
How Credit Card Information is Stolen
Using your card’s tap-to-pay feature helps keep you safe from credit card skimmers who aim to steal your card’s information. This week, cybercriminals targeted health lifestyle members, patients, gamblers, and general consumers. Early on, Welltok returned to the news, this time with over 426k member data stolen by assailants; the organizations impacted by the breach were Premier Health and Graphic Packaging International.
While a card issuer or payment network can make your card compatible with these types of technologies, it’s up to you to use contactless methods as a fraud-prevention measure. Contactless methods work via a technology called NFC, or near field communication. They make paying at stores safer because they use a “tokenization” method to change payment information with every transaction — kind of like a virtual credit card number.
Online Credit Card Shops – A Numbers Game
Credit card information can be stolen in a number of ways, including data breaches, phishing scams, and card skimming. Once the information is obtained, it can be sold on the dark web to individuals who intend to use it for fraudulent purchases.
Data Breaches
Data breaches occur when a hacker gains unauthorized access to a company’s database and steals sensitive information, such as credit card numbers. These breaches can affect millions of people at once and can result in the theft of large amounts of credit card information.
Academy Mortgage Faces Disruptions; Employee And Borrower Data Compromised
Phishing Scams
This screen time includes everything from streaming video, scrolling social media, and browsing the web. Identity theft is a real and distressing crime that’s becoming a greater risk as more sensitive data moves to online locations. We reported on Mr. Cooper—one of the nation’s largest mortgage providers—a month ago. Mr. Cooper was featured as they dealt with the throws of a cybersecurity event. Singing River Health System (SRHS) is a healthcare network located in the tail of Mississippi (and northern Alabama). They provide a comprehensive network of medical services for residents, including cancer, emergency, hospice, pediatrics, and urgent care.
Phishing scams are a type of online fraud where a hacker sends an email or message that appears to be from a legitimate company, such as a bank or credit card company. The message will often contain a link that, when clicked, will take the user to a fake website where they are asked to enter their credit card information. This information is then collected by the hacker and can be sold on the dark web.
Gangs On The Dark Web: Credit Card Scammers – VICE
Card Skimming
Card skimming is a type of theft that occurs when a device is installed on an ATM or credit card reader that captures the information from the magnetic strip on the back of a credit card. This information can then be sold on the dark web.
- There is some uncertainty about how many of the cards are actually still active and available for cybercriminals to use.
- New cards were created using this skimmed information to be used later for fraudulent purchases.
- Japan, the UAE, and Europe have the most expensive identities at an average of $25.
- No information is stolen through these attacks, but they can be used to extort ransoms or hide other hacking activities.
Mihalo assembled and directed the team that helped him sell this stolen financial information on the darknet. Each of the co-conspirators benefitted from the trusted reputation Mihalo, as ggmccloud1, had built on the darknet sites to sell more stolen financial information than they would have been able to sell individually. Taylor Ross Staats, 40, of Texas, conspired with Mihalo and others to sell stolen financial information on the internet. Staats served as a “card-checker,” who ensured the financial information sold by Mihalo and others on multiple darknet sites remained active and had not been canceled by the relevant financial institutions. Staats personally earned at least $21,000 worth of Bitcoin for these services.
Protecting Your Credit Card Information
There are several steps you can take to protect your credit card information from being stolen and sold on the dark web:
- Use a credit card instead of a debit card for online purchases, as credit cards offer more protection against fraud.
- Check your credit card statements regularly for any suspicious activity.
- Use a virtual private network (VPN) when accessing public Wi-Fi networks, as this will encrypt your data and make it more difficult for hackers to intercept.
- Be cautious of phishing emails and messages, and never click on links or provide sensitive information in response to an unsolicited message.
By taking these steps, you can help protect your credit card information and reduce the risk of it being stolen and sold on the dark web.
