Hackers offer 'Black Friday' discounts for stolen credit card details
Hackers are offering Black Friday discounts for stolen credit card details being bought and sold on the dark web as they seek to cash in on an online shopping bonanza.
Security experts including the FBI, the UK's cyber defence agency and online security firms have warned of a wave of hacking and fraud as criminals exploit Britain's biggest weekend of online shopping across Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Last year proved another record year for sales, with billions spent in the UK alone, or more than £10,000 per second according to one estimate. But with a spike in digital shoppers, hackers are also making the most of the surge in online transactions.
Messages on encrypted messaging app Telegram seen by the Telegraph showed hackers were promoting "festive season" deals to fellow cyber criminals.
On one dark web forum called "Gansta's Paradise", hackers were offering a 25pc "Black Friday discount" on stolen credit cards, according to security company RepKnight.
Hackers were seen advertising their services on "carding" message groups on the app, a technique to steal credit cards by infecting online stores and then laundering the money by using them to buy luxury goods and selling them on.
UK cyber security start-up Digital Shadows said Telegram forums had users touting for pre-Black Friday business. "Black Friday has had the unintended consequence of emboldening and enabling profit-seeking cybercriminals," the researchers said.
The Telegraph identified details of victims from the US, Germany and Denmark all exposed on the Telegram chats, some of which had thousands of users.
Once hackers have stolen or bought compromised credit cards, they then use them to buy luxury items like new iPhones or gaming laptops and send them to anonymous buyers before the victim has time to cancel their card. The holiday season noise can even make it easier for hackers, with so many shoppers purchasing online.
"There’s lots of chatter about attacks on retailers around Black Friday and Cyber Monday," said RepKnight chief executive Jeremy Hendy. "Retailers are at risk. We see lots of credentials - billions - circulating around on the dark web and including details of employees at major companies and retail websites."
With attempts at scams spiking over the so-called "cyber weekend", the US FBI warned shoppers this week to "ensure the site is secure and reputable before providing your credit card number and personal information".
The National Cyber Security Centre, the UK's cyber spy agency, on Friday urged UK shoppers to have a "cyber chat" about staying secure while online shopping. Just some of the techniques used by hackers include email phishing with fake deal offers, WhatsApp scams and fake websites built to look like Amazon or other sellers.
Just some of the scams reported over the last week that had been spread by email phishing or social media included a WhatsApp messaging scam encouraging shoppers to click on fake links to Spar shops and fake deals calling on US shoppers to share coupons offering 85 per cent off at Walmart.
