It´s likely that in today´s circumstances most people think it twice before letting someone swipe their credit cards at any store, and even worse when it comes to entering the card data in a website.  Given that during 2014 some of the biggest retailers in the United States went through a data breach, many people are now more aware of the risks.  It seems no website or company is safe and everyone wants to share, sell and profit from your data.  Others, like the government, want to monitor you and use your information against you.  Investigators know the less you share, the safer you are.

However, Russian private investigators warn that the hacking industry goes way beyond credit cards. Most people are very reluctant to giving out their card information, but are still unaware of the fact that other personal information is just as valuable for hackers.

In the dark corners of the Internet´s black market, fraudsters buy and sell personal data just like insurance or real estate agents buy portfolios. Stolen data is not only used to access bank accounts or to try to use credit cards for fraudulent deals. Fraudsters also use information such as medical records, policy numbers and social security numbers  to buy medical equipment or drugs that can be resold.  Medical identity theft is now a growing trend that –for the criminals – has the advantage that it usually takes a long time for the victim to discover , unlike what happens with financial fraud. The capability of milking these records for so long makes medical information more valuable.

Thinking about signing up for Obamacare, the so-called “Affordable” healthcare act?  Not only will you likely see more costly premiums and insurance costs, you would be the victim of hackers or other agencies who access and use all this data.  Edwards Snowden is just a recent reminder that information with the U.S. government is not safe, and any data about you is not 100% secure.

Criminals’ creativity is evolving all the time.  Many Russian hackers also issue fake identifications with other people´s real names and dates of birth, and use them for all kinds of illegal acts. They even use the information obtained in cyber-attacks to black mail people, as it happens frequently with celebrities´ private photographs or even with regular people´s intimate photographs. More and more people –especially women- are being victim to hackers and are threatened every day.

The compromised data comes from many sources, including the hacking of major sites like the Obamacare website, phishing attacks and even from online dating websites.  Although some say that the price paid for stolen information is every day lower and it continue to drop, especially after big data breaches, it is a very profitable business and Russians have proven to be masters in this art.

But Russian investigators are also alerting people about their own responsibility in this issue. It is true that many companies have not taken seriously the protection of their consumers’ data.  Such is the case of important websites, including retailers, government sites, financial institutions and medical facilities. Even Facebook and Instagram suffered a hack recently, being two of the most popular social networks today that hold private information of millions of people.  If you think Facebook is safe, you should ask yourself how Facebook makes money, and why they want you to share everything!  Your information, your friends, your “likes” and data are being sold to third parties for profit.

“Thousands of people reveal every day their most private information to strangers online, and they do not even realize they´re doing it”, says Nicholas Donkova, Director of Russia PI Director of Private Detectives.  Social networking has turned online privacy into a thing of the past. Many of the victims of Russian hacks have incurred in some of the worst practices regarding their private data, like sharing more than they should in their online dating profiles, or revealing information to people they have not even met before.  Investigators emphasize to share less online for a safer life.

In today´s world, it is critical to learn how to protect one´s personal information, how to identify Russian online fraudsters,  and lower the chances of being victim to identity theft or other types of online fraud.   If you’ve met someone on the internet, contact today for a free quote.

C. Wright
© 2015 Russia PI™

© Copyright 2015 Russia PI.  All Rights Reserved.  This content is the property of Russia PI, LLC and is protected by United States of America and international copyright laws.