[rationalbeaver]

While this is certainly disturbing, I kinda wonder how much of the info being sold in this way is legit. I mean, if you scam your buyer by providing false info, what can they really do about it? Call the cops and tell them you got scammed while trying to buy stolen CC info online?

[Ennis]

CC hackers rely on selling hundreds and thousands of numbers a time to make any money. It makes sense that most of their business comes from repeat customers, in which case scamming them isn't in their best interests.

[rationalbeaver]

I'm sure that is true for real CC hackers, but it is difficult to tell which, if any, of the people posting these ads is the real deal. The lack of trust and transparency is an opportunity for scammers hoping to make a quick buck before they change usernames/emails and try again.

It would actually be interesting to see how "legitimate" CC sellers try to distinguish themselves from the fakes. They mention in the article that some of them are using images to identify themselves, effectively creating CC hacker brands.

Edit: ambiate makes a good point about reputation systems on the forums they use. Seems practical and discourages username swapping.

[ShabbyDoo]

An interesting subset of the make-your-victim-opt-into-something-illegal-or-embarrassing-so-he-won't-tell scam genre.