Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Identity theft marketplace sells mothers' maiden names, dates of birth, etc @fbi

from http://boingboing.net/2011/11/08/identity-theft-marketplace-sells-mothers-maiden-names-dates-of-birth-etc.html


Many websites will allow you to "recover a lost password" if you (or a crook) can supply your date of birth, mother's maiden name, etc. So, of course, crooks buy and sell data like dates of birth, mothers' maiden names, Social Security Numbers, and other easily mined minutae. Brian Krebs reports from superget.info, a site that sells would-be fraudsters this information, and also has a wholesale program so that entrepreneurial crooks can resell your personal information to their friends.

Superget lets users search for specific individuals by name, city, and state. Each "credit" costs USD$1, and a successful hit on a Social Security number or date of birth costs 3 credits each. The more credits you buy, the cheaper the searches are per credit: Six credits cost $4.99; 35 credits cost $20.99, and $100.99 buys you 230 credits. Customers with special needs to can avail themselves of the "reseller plan," which promises 1,500 credits for $500.99, and 3,500 credits for $1000.99.

"Our Databases are updated EVERY DAY," the site's owner enthuses. "About 99% nearly 100% US people could be found, more than any sites on the internet now."

Customers who aren't choosy about the identities they're stealing can get a real bargain. Among the most trafficked commodities in the hacker underground are packages called "fullz infos," which include the full identity information on dozens or hundreds of individuals.

How Much Is Your Identity Worth?

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