Scammers on the dark web are selling logins to hacked Spotify subscriptions for just $0.21 – that’s 47 times lower than the full $9.99 monthly price – according to a new report.
Personal details stored online are being hacked and then sold off – allowing the purchaser to access someone’s subscription to Spotify for a tiny fraction of the above-board pricetag, says the Dark Web Market Price Index.
The report has found that fraudsters are also hacking Netflix and Apple to glean user’s private details and sell on subscriptions and accounts.
Data was found through tens of thousands of listings on three of the most popular dark web markets; Dream, Point and Wall Street Market.
These encrypted websites allow criminals to anonymously sell stolen personal information.
By calculating the average sale price of Spotify subscriptions, the Index came up with the figure of $0.21.
A login for an Apple Music account goes for an average price of $15.39, while one for Netflix averages at $8.32.
Spotify is by far the lowest priced in the entertainment category behind Twitch ($2.08), Ticketmaster ($2.07) and Playstation ($0.52).
It’s not the first time fraudsters have targeted Spotify—an MBW investigation in February revealed how a Bulgarian playlist-maker scammed the Spotify payout system for months last year.
The swindle saw the scammer run over 1,000 paid-for premium accounts, using them to play only his or her music for around four months, and collecting a large cheque as a result.
Daniel Ek‘s company has since been busy bulking up its anti-fraud squad, which will be led by a newly-hired Head of Fraud Prevention based in London.
According to a job ad originally posted on February 20 – the same day our Bulgarian scammer story broke – the streaming company is looking for someone with 12+ years of senior experience in global online fraud & payments to lead the team.Music Business Worldwide
