Debit/credit card details up for sale for $5. Here’s one sign that your bank account is in danger

Your debit and credit card details are up for grabs for scammers for as little as $5 or INR 420, as they continue to keep devising new methods to scam innocent people of millions. As reported by the Times of India, several shady Telegram channels and websites are providing scammers with details of the payment cards of shoppers, including the card number, cardholder’s name, and CVV. 

The situation is particularly dire in the West, as only the aforementioned details are enough to get a payment request processed. For Indians, two-factor authentication through One-Time Password (OTP) is mandatory, however, scammers have seemingly found a new way to circumvent this predicament.

How do scammers access OTP required for payment?

Indian police officials were quoted by Times of India as saying how scammers were accessing the OTP by getting the original sim deactivated. The police said, “The hackers put up these debit/credit card details including the victim’s name and phone number for sale through shady websites and Telegram channels. Cyberfraudsters buy this data and use it to place a call to the victim’s telecom service provider to get your sim card deactivated. They acquire a duplicate sim which they use to gain access to one-time passwords (OTPs), while the victim is oblivious to the deception.”

Watch: No need for a debit card to activate UPI 

Hence, the next time you find your sim card getting deactivated suddenly, sound the warning bell right away as scammers could be minutes away from draining your bank account.

Who is operating these illegal websites?

According to the report, the illegal Telegram channels and websites are operated by hackers based out of Russia and Ukraine. “Hackers from Russia and Ukraine primarily sell card details through some websites and Telegram channels. Cards from affluent Western countries can be acquired for approximately $10, while those from Asian countries, including India, can be obtained for a mere $5,” said Indian officials.

In January 2022, one such website was tracked and forced to shut down by the authorities, but several identical channels have cropped up of late. 

“The Gujarat police have successfully identified five such websites and approximately 45 Telegram channels where these sensitive details are exchanged for cash. We have also identified certain individuals who have availed themselves of these services to defraud unsuspecting victims in Banaskantha, Surat, Ahmedabad, and Gandhinagar,” one police official was quoted as saying by Times of India.