If you know anything about protecting yourself on the internet, you probably already know that there is a hidden, underground ring of criminals that make their living buying and selling the personal information of internet users who don’t effectively protect their data.
You know that you should never give out the password or login information to your student loan account, and you know that your social security number should be shared with as few people as possible. But did you know that there’s also a market for your personal accounts and other forms of documentation as well?
According to a 2017 internet securities threat report by the Symantec Corporation, the underground economy is also buying and selling access to your Netflix accounts, hotel rewards programs, and even your Uber login info. This can lead to disastrous results for the consumer, who is unlucky enough to have his or her info appear on the deep web’s black market.
But what is this information actually worth to criminals? You might be shocked by how low of a price that your personal information is fetching on the black market.
According to research by the Symantec Corporation, here are the going rates for a few of the most commonly-traded pieces of personal information and account details:
- Identity, including name, birth date and social security number: One cent to $1.50, depending on nationality.
- One credit card: Five cents to $30.
- Hotel rewards program with up to 100,000 points: $10 to $20.
- Airline frequent flyer account with 10,000 points: $5 to $20.
- Restaurant gift cards: 20% to 40% of the card’s value.
- Taxi app accounts like Uber of Lyft: Five cents to $1.
- Media streaming service like Netflix or Hulu: 10 cents to $10 per account.
Protecting your information online can prevent criminals from buying and selling access to your accounts and personal data. Before you throw away that old computer you use to shop online and manage your finances, make sure you take it to our experts at Keystone Technology Management, one of the leading hard drive destruction companies in NY.
If you wish to learn more about our NY data destruction services, we encourage you to contact our team today!