New data shows that on average, stolen Visa or MasterCard details cost just £11 ($15) to buy on the dark web with Bitcoin or other anonymous altcoins.
Figures compiled by UK credit reporting agency Equifax shows the US to be the cheapest area in which to purchase stolen card information, with the EU and the UK prices around 2.5 times higher.
“There is a huge variety of stolen data available for sale on the dark web, including both financial information and login details,” Equifax comments.
Interestingly, items such as hacked email accounts go for much more, particularly if they are popular. Current rates are around £90 per account, along with social media login credentials. Corporate email accounts go for much more - around £350.
The surprisingly low price of payment cards is indicative of the ease with which such items can be sourced. It is not just physical theft; large-scale data breaches are the major culprits for credentials of millions of customers being wholesale transferred into malicious hands.
“It is evident from the infographic that a buyer won’t have to loosen pockets much [to lose] such sensitive information,” Fossbytes writes commenting on the data.
Recently, customers of UK-based Tesco Bank found their accounts emptied of cash after cyber criminals hacked security systems, stealing £2.5 mln from 9000 people (figures changed since the original article was published).