What a Stolen Credit Card Costs on the Digital Black Market
Cybercriminals have gotten so sophisticated recently that their operations are almost indistinguishable from the legit businesses they rip off. Here's a "menu" of services offered by cybercriminals, including working physical credit cards and fake storefronts to scam unsuspecting Internet users.
Internet security firm PandaLabs put together this chart as part of a recent report on cybercrime: (Click to enlarge.)
The systematic trade of stolen credit card numbers on the Internet has been going on for years, but what's remarkable is how professional things have become. Pandalabs found about 50 online stores dedicated to trafficking stolen financial information.
And you're not just limited to a credit card number—you can also pay to have a working credit card printed up ($30 for white plastic; $80 for color.) Bank accounts are for sale: it costs about $700 for access to an account with a guaranteed balance of $82,000, according to the report. And aspiring scammers can get a fake online store designed to bilk customers out of cash and their billing information so they can start their own stolen credit card ring.
At this point it's almost like: Why even go to college?