According to the NYTimes blog Bits “hackers who steal credit card numbers and personal identities online and then sell and trade this information” may be hurting just as much as anybody. These information dealers “are worried that the distribution of millions of credit cards could flood the market and lower prices.”
One source the blog spoke with claimed that stolen credit cards are “usually sold for about $US5 to $US10 online,” but that if the millions of cards belonging to PSN users were to become available “the price could fall to well below the standard rate to as low as $US1 or $US2 each.”
So how about it: does this make you feel any better? The do say that misery loves company—I’m just not sure it loves the company of cyber-criminals.
Kermit
Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 3:17 PMThe poor things!
Uncle Avvy
Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 3:31 PMAm I the only person who came into this article expecting a conversation about the old hacker/cracker definition divide?
Sigh, I am old.
blahjedi
Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 5:01 PMNo, I was expecting it too!
Uncle Avvy
Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 7:08 PMAnd that picture? Worst representation of a hacker ever… we all look like this:
http://mapsoftheproblematic.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/hackers1.jpg
Ty
Friday, May 6, 2011 at 12:23 AMHack the planet.
Lord Bob
Friday, May 6, 2011 at 1:59 AMAlso was expecting a peice on the sullying of old style hackers reputation. Bob Sad :(
706
Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 3:43 PMStill want to find the kind of places online that these trades take place
veddermandan
Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 3:58 PMIts easy to find just google it. Same as free password sites. Easy to find, just beware you’ll probably get a virus or some other problems.
Richard James
Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 5:58 PMThere was a post the other day on the Minecraft forums for someone wanting to sell this sort of information. Complete with prices.
I reported it as SPAM. It won’t be there now. But this stuff appears from time to time in otherwise normal places.
mccawsome
Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 3:49 PMBoo F*cking Hoo
FatShady MBA
Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 4:04 PMSupply and demand strikes again… This is funny.
Now the dudes that stole the info should make like diamond dealers and restrict supply to avoid this issue.. Oh wait.. they can’t because the value would surely decrease once the theft is public knowledge as the incidence of the card being cancelled increases…
Interesting take on the situation though.
Matt
Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 4:08 PMBut why do we care if they cant make profit from something they stole?
Mic
Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 4:18 PMBecause it’s funny.
Braaains
Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 4:40 PMWell they still make a profit BECAUSE they stole it. I.e. they paid nothing for it, so anything they get for it is pure profit. Just means it’s a smaller profit.
starocean01
Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 4:49 PMnot true…the used time to hack/steal and uno wat they say, time is money
Powalen
Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 5:00 PMWon’t somebody please think of the hackers!
Tom
Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 6:29 PMOh no, pathetic low-lifes who’s sole goal is to make life difficult for us normal internet/gaming users are being inconvenienced! How terrible!
Good, let them suffer, good riddance to them.
scruffy
Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 9:04 PMI love how the guy in the pic is wearing a hoodie. Y’know, to protect his identity online. Genius.
weresmurf
Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 9:06 PMI’m sure there was meant to be some sort of ironic sympathy in this article… I’m just finding it hard to give a shit…
Effluvium Boy
Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 9:23 PMPoor little fellas.
Hang in there lads, there’s always the gullible elderly.
AerintheGREAT
Friday, May 6, 2011 at 1:50 AM5 to 10 bucks apiece?? Geez… Seems like it’s not even worth the effort…
Guess that’s why I’m not a criminal, too much extra effort and stress for not enough reward :-P