After stealing 40 million credit and debit card numbers, trading them internationally, and stealing untold millions of dollars from their victims, did they really think they wouldn't get caught? 11 international identity thieves were indicted yesterday in the largest single hacking case ever tried by the US Department of Justice.
It's wonderful to see bad guys getting taken down even if the investigations have been going on for more than 3 years. These cybercriminals have done very well over the years, hacking into the credit card transmission data from at least 9 retailers, stealing and reselling the digits of the hacked cards. Symantec monitors the trading in the black market for this sort of data and just a few years ago, a full online identity was trading among these crooks for about $5.00. Today, in part to the success of criminals like these, the value of your private information has fallen dramatically, to as low as $1.00 a person. And for just a single credit card, along with its security code? Pennies.
One thing you can do, to take action against this crime, is to constantly and vigilantly monitor the activity on your credit and debit cards. Put a reminder in your task list or on your phone's calendar to check the activity using your bank's online services at least once a week if possible. It shouldn't cost you anything but your time and it's well worth it if and when you discover fraud. Remember, it's estimated that 1 in 4 Americans will be a victim of id theft in their lifetime.