Getting your identity stolen is never fun. Whether it’s credit card information, compromised passwords or something else entirely, the whole situation is always frustrating and time consuming to fix, and makes you feel violated. But have you ever wondered how much this personal information is actually worth out there on the black market? The answer might soothe you slightly—because it’s not much.
An interesting thing to note is that aside from credit cards, medical records and the typical personal information that’s valuable to hackers, interest in passwords for apps and services like Spotify and Netflix has risen significantly. According to the April 2017 Internet Security Report from Symantec Corporation, thieves earn very little from selling your stolen information.
“While the prices they can charge for these accounts are low, if an attacker has compromised a device it is likely they will have this account information anyway, so they attempt to sell it on in an effort to maximize their profits,” the report says.
Medical records: fraction of a cent to $2.50
Medical records are probably the easiest of all to steal, which is extremely worrisome, given that a complete medical record can include everything from a person’s full name and date of birth, to their Social Security number, financial and account information, insurance, and government identifiers, according to software company Secure Group.
Payment card data: $5 to $45
Surprisingly, credit cards don’t go for a very high price on the black market either. According to the data from Symantec, a single credit card can be worth as little as half a cent. If the credit card also includes the information needed to get the card (bank account ID number, the user’s date of birth, billing address, PIN number, Social Security number, and even the username and password used to manage an account), it’s worth a whole lot more. According to Symantec, the most valuable part of your credit card is the magnetic strip and the pin. Cards with this information can sell for up to $100.
- Single credit card: $0.5 – $30
- Single credit card with full details (Fullz): $20 – $60
- Dump of magnetic strip track 1 and 2, and PIN: $60 – $100
The takeaway
The most surprising bit of data (to me, anyway) from the Symantec report was how little a Social Security number or passport is worth. Your full identity (which includes your name, Social Security number and birthday) only costs between 1 cent and $1.50. A scanned passport or other document, like a utility bill, only runs between $1 and $3!
I guess it’s true that crime doesn’t really pay…
An aspiring food and health writer, native Chicagoan, and nut butter enthusiast. Jessica is also the creator of BiteMeBlog, but don't call her a foodie More.
