Scams on the
Internet mostly targeted users in the USA, Canada and the UK a couple of
decades ago. This was mainly because more people in these countries regularly
used the Web, since they already had quick and reliable broadband Internet
connectivity during that time. This was unlike users in other countries who
mainly relied on dial-up Internet connections. This was also because people in
these rich countries had higher buying power and were commonly credit card
holders.
Today, these
scams on the Internet have evolved to target users outside these countries.
This is because more users in other countries now enjoy high speed broadband
Internet connectivity, especially with the growing popularity of mobile devices
and cellular or wireless Internet connections worldwide. They now regularly use
the Web for their day to day activities. Their buying power has also grown
significantly, and many now have credit cards. Other more accessible payment
methods are also available on the Internet today.
However,
users of the USA still remain among the
most targeted demographic for scams on the Internet. Analysts estimate that
losses due to credit card theft online in the USA could grow from $8 billion in
2014 to over $19 billion in 2018.
This means credit card fraud in the USA is still among the most widespread scams on the Internet. So, how exactly do the criminals steal credit card details from users
in the US?
Found below
are some common tactics that are used by criminal syndicates to perform credit
card theft on the Web. You'll be able to quickly spot these scams on the
Internet and avoid them by learning the exact ways that are implemented.
How Do
Criminals Steal Credit Card Details of Users in the USA?
1. Phishing Scams - These scams on the Internet are done by simply
sending out messages with links. These links will take users to fake websites
that are designed to look exactly like the user's legitimate online banking
portal, Web mail platform or online shopping sites.
These
messages are designed to trick users into logging into the fake sites using
their account credentials. Victims of these scams on the Internet reported that
they wrongly thought they needed to update their account details.
Once users
unknowingly enter their credit card details in the fake websites, their credentials
are logged and sent to the operators of these scams on the Internet. Theyare
then used to buy and sell prohibited products on the Deep Web. These might
include illegal porn, firearms and drugs.
2. Spyware - Spyware programs are designed as lightweight
applications that can install and run on a user's device without the user's
consent. They are mainly used to perform scams on the Internet like credit card
and information theft. Stolen credit card details among other financial
credentials and personal information of users are sold by the scammers as
complete fake identity packages in the Deep Web.
The spyware
programs are bundled with other software installers. Some criminals bundle
these auto-install spyware items with popular movies, MP3s and other media
materials that are shared across popular torrent sites and other P2P (peer to
peer) file sharing networks.
These spyware
applications stealthily log the user's keyboard or keypad inputs, touch
gestures, Web browsing habits, account credentials and other confidential
information in the user's compromised device. Stored data in the device can
also be stolen by these spyware programs. These stolen details are then
automatically transmitted to Web servers without the user's consent. Criminal
syndicates that operate these Web servers then retrieve th stolen details and
use it to perform other scams on the Internet.
3. Adware Popups & Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPs) -
These are used for different scams on the Internet, many of which are designed
to steal the credit card details of an unsuspecting user. These adware popups
and PUPs display popup messages in the compromised device.
These popup
messages freeze the user's Web browser or the system itself. These are designed
to scare people into contacting the criminal syndicates.
Some
criminals force users to pay a ransom to remove such programs from their devices
and fix their systems back to their original state. Other scammers trick users
into paying for fake tech support services to remove these malicious
applications from their devices.
Once the
user's credit card details are accessed by these criminals, the stolen details
are used for other scams on the Web. Some scammers try to convince users to
give them remote access to their devices. This enables the criminals
to access confidential data that's stored in the user's device. Some of these
criminals install spyware items and other malicious applications in the user's
device during these remote control sessions.
Now that you
know how credit card fraud and information theft are performed by criminal
syndicates through various scams on the Internet, you can better prepare
yourself and avoid such Web crimes. Share these with your family and friends, so
you can help them to avoid falling for Web scams.
