Year-round, dark web suppliers sell detailed step-by-step cyber fraud guides and full identity packs, known as “fullz”, which contain full names, social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, dates of birth and other personal information, but the market goes into overdrive as the US tax return season approaches.
Although fraudsters can use fullz to commit tax fraud, tax summaries issued by employers (W2 forms) and employee identification numbers are required.
According to Terbium Labs, W2 forms are available from Dream Marketplace sellers for $52 (£38) worth of bitcoin, while on other marketplaces, they go for $45 (£32) each or $35 (£25) each for orders of 10 or more.
However, fullz for children command higher prices because they enable fraudsters to file fraudulent tax claims of up to $1,000 per child, with infant fullz costing about $312 (£222).
Although Terbium Labs has seen child data for sale before, researchers said this was the first time they had seen infants’ data for sale.
“It is unusual to have information specifically marked as belonging to children or to infants on these markets,” the company’s director of analysis, Emily Wilson, told CNN.
Infant fullz also command a higher price because they give fraudsters access to clean credit histories. This enables criminals to apply for credit cards, government grants, mortgages and other loans, with the added bonus that these frauds often go undiscovered until the victims are old enough to open credit accounts.
Read the original story at Computer Weekly.
