Credit Card Information… Going Cheap

By Guy Bunker | April 14, 2009 | Leave a Comment

Symantec’s latest Internet Security Threat Report has updated its figures on the cost of information on the underground economy. Topping the list again this year is credit card information – but the prices is 40% less than last year! How much for your credit card details… a measly $0.06. Or about 4p. Staggering isn’t it. The quantity of information has also gone up, indicating that more people are falling for scams and exposing their credit card numbers and in a typical supply and demand economy there are also more people selling the information. Phishing sites were up 66% on 2007 and the most popular topic… finance.

Email passwords were also on the list and moved up to #3 behind credit card and bank details. Why? Well, there is a lot of information stored in email, including things like credit card details and bank information. Usernames and passwords in general are useful to the cyber-criminal, if its for someone at home, they might have access to one or two pieces of useful information – but if it is a work account, then they might be able to obtain access to complete customer details, or new product details or sensitive financial information.

In tough economic times one of the goals for companies and individuals alike is to save money… and one of the best places to do that is on the Internet. There are a lot of genuine Internet bargains out there but unfortunately there are a lot of scams as well. Just be a little extra vigilant and watch a little closer for them – after all a bargain that appears too good to be true probably is… and you could end up being the victim of fraud.

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