Much buzz has been generated by a new report that outlines just how easy and affordable it is to acquire someone else's credit card information and personal details. The report – released by McAfee – details various ways that this information can be obtained and the average costs for each piece of information.
Would-be criminals in the market for a stolen credit card can find one for approximately $25, while a credit card with the PIN number included will run you around $100. If you are in the market for a credit card with a guaranteed good balance then you can expect to pay somewhere around $200 for that information.
The report outlined that stolen credit card data is some of the cheapest data currently available on the “black market”, with the average cost amounting to just around one percent of an average credit card's balance.
Other forms of financial information, such as online bank account credentials and online wallet logins, usually demand a higher price and are tied directly to the value in the current account. Those who wish to obtain a US-based bank account fraudulently can expect to pay approximately two percent of the account's balance, while accounts in the European Union can be purchased for approximately five percent of the balance on the account.
In addition to bank account and credit card information, other forms of information are readily available for purchase. Lists of email address for spam operations are common, with a list of one million email address costing approximately $500. There are even customized email lists available for select marketing purposes: if you wish to contact every doctor in the United States, for instance, there is a list for that – and it will cost you around $110.
Much of this activity occurs in what is known as the “deep web”, which are sections of the internet inaccessible to traditional computer browsers. While it may not be something the average person will stumble across in his or her daily internet usage, virtually anyone can find the tools necessary to uncover these online black markets and explore a plethora of stolen personal information.