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According to cybersecurity experts, over 1,800 payment cards from UK account holders have been published for sale on the dark web.
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Researchers revealed that most of these cards are priced at an average price of £6.27.
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The UK ranks fourth globally in payment card spam, behind the US, Singapore, and Spain.
Researchers from NordVPN have found that over 1,800 payment cards belonging to United Kingdom account holders were posted for sale on the dark web. Britz have been popular targets when considering looted credit and debit card details being sold off on the dark web.
Notably, cyber attackers use several ways to steal your payment card credentials and post them on the darknet, where they are usually sold in bulk.
Interestingly, the study found that hackers sold the credit and debit cards at an average price of £6.27, which is considerably lower than the cost of a pint.
What Researchers Find About Card Spamming
NordVPN’s CTO, Marijus Briedis, commented on the recent development, stating that the dark web currently has a “cost-of-hacking crisis.” This is not only occurring in the United Kingdom, but globally, as the asking prices for just one credit or debit card are surprisingly low.
Mr Briedis added that by just losing their physical payment cards, or even suffering card skimming or cyber hacks, victims can find their payment credentials on the dark web for sale. As per our research and knowledge, these hacks often begin with attackers gathering personal information through methods like phishing and social media monitoring (techniques that are becoming increasingly sophisticated).
He further noted that threat actors usually sell cards in bulk, which remain valid for long periods. Therefore, they can be cashed out anytime, locally.
Using the dark web in the UK is not illegal; however, it has been used for various nefarious purposes, such as drug dealing, child pornography, and even illegal firearms dealing. This underscores a persistent global problem, though law enforcement is fighting back, as seen in the recent takedown of a UK dealer with prosthetic hands in a major international sting.
As per the research results, the United Kingdom currently ranks fourth worldwide for the number of looted payment cards published on the darknet, with 1,804 incidents.
Cases of stolen bank cards were most prevalent in the United States, with 30,540 cases, followed by Singapore, with 5,484 cases, and Spain, with 5,090 cases.
Experts believe that the United Kingdom ranks high in these attacks due to its very promising economy and the extremely high levels of online banking and e-commerce.
What Should Britz Do?
It is worth noting that Britons make heavy expenses both locally and internationally; therefore, exploited card data can be easily used across various platforms.
Furthermore, British cards are considered more valuable globally because of the nation’s relatively high average income and the strong currency value.
Researchers revealed that the worldwide average price for looted payment cards is £6.30, slightly above the average UK price of £6.27.
This might seem like an insignificant amount to be paying for your finances, but it represents a 38% growth since 2023, when the typical UK payment card was sold for £4.56.
In other parts of Europe, the average price of a credit or debit card costs differently. Stolen Irish payment cards have grown 53% from 2023 to 2025. Germany had one of the largest growth rates, recording about 131% from £3.77 in 2023 to £8.74 this year.
In Europe, stolen Spanish cards are the most expensive on the dark web, selling for an average of £9.22, followed by French cards (£8.75) and Portuguese cards (£7.32).
