VIEW 16
PII prices on the dark web
Let’s examine the prices of personally identifiable information (PII) on the dark web. The chart to the right displays data from a Comparitech survey taken in 2018. Look first at the cost of a passport scan if you wanted to buy one from the dark web. They would typically cost $15 each, although as you can see there is a big variation in prices depending on the nationality of the passport involved. Chinese passports are the cheapest. This may reflect supply since China’s population is almost five times bigger than the USA which would imply a greater number of passports. It might also reflect demand. The GDP per capita in the USA is six times that of China and wealthier passport holders suggests a greater potential for financial exploitation.
Identity is cheap
Prices increase fourfold if a proof of address (PoA) is offered in conjunction with a passport scan as shown by the charts to the right. These two pieces of information constitute sufficient proof of identity in most countries to pass identification checks and, say, open a bank account or begin a mobile phone contract. Notice the prices for USA PII of this type seem extremely low. This may be a timing effect as the survey was taken soon after some major cyber breaches dumped 500m PII records into the dark web marketplace. Notice also that French PII prices are comparatively high which could be an indication of the prophylactic properties of a non-English language. Only 3% of Internet use is in French - a smaller and more difficult pool to fish from.
The real-world premium
Lastly look at the difference between the cost of a passport scan and the cost of an actual passport document. A forged passport costs $1,478 on the dark web. A ‘real’ passport made from an official blank and acquired through a corrupt bureaucrat costs almost 10 times more. Next time an apparatchik asks you for your real passport document and not a scan, temper your frustration. You can see from the prices shown here that the extra diligence is clearly worthwhile.
