Cybercrime is not limited by boundaries
Date: September 02, 2004Source: Computer Crime Research Center
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Computer crimes more and more assume transnational, organized and group character. Transnational character of computer crimes poses a certain social threat - a threat to the compound of the national security. Modern technologies gave an impetus to criminal activity as well as to the free trade and economy.
According to certain data, there are 30 kinds of illegal operations with cards in the Internet. The most spread are payment using non-existing cards, creating false Internet shops, e-thefts, false payments at gambling websites.
Carding is illegal use of bank cards for purchasing goods or services in the Internet. It is necessary to get information on a real card or generate all this data so that systems will accept it. Thefts of cards are becoming more spread: interested one may easily find links to related websites that sell stolen cards. Regular price for cards is from $0.4 to $5. Mosts sellers are from the former USSR countires, buyers, on the contrary, are residents of the Far East, victims are citizens of the US and Europe. FBI informed that the most skilled hackers live probably in Ukraine and Russia.
Virtual marketplaces are organized as real exchanges, prices are fluctuating depending on demand. These shops are located at hacked pages and that's why they ate short-lived. Most of these pages are active only for some days.
Experts agree that St. Petersburg is a center of world carding. Cards are sold in 500-5000 pieces lots, $1 each. These cards are obtained by hacking of large financial companies. CD Universe admitted theft of 300 000 cards after refusing to pay hackers for silence in 2003.
Last year's losses caused by carding reached 411 million GBP only in England, this number will raise up to 1 billion GBP by 2005. That's why 25 million GBP were budgeted for fighting with cyber crimes.
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