Dark web market study

Putting a price on stolen data

Not all data is of equal value. How much are criminals willing to pay for your digital identity?

A man browsing the web on his phone, unaware that his personal data already has a price on the dark web.

What’s hot and what’s not
on the dark web

Here are the trends we’ve observed after analyzing thousands of listings for stolen data.

Median document prices ($)

Country	Passport	ID	Driver’s license	“Fullz”
Israel	69.9	79.99	0	0
Canada	40	45	49.5	39.6
New Zealand	38	0	38	0
Austria	35	34	35	90
China	35	0	0	100
Finland	35	34	44	90
Italy	35	31	35	90
Netherlands	35	34	34.99	90
UK	35	90	35	40
USA	34.99	50	50	35

Country	Passport	ID	Driver’s license
Germany	1,500	1,897	1,078.58
Italy	1,500	1,800	1,200
USA	1,500	135	135
Canada	1,430	256.52	256.52
Ireland	1,300	1,500	1,200
Austria	1,286.78	1,500	1,200
Belgium	1,286.78	1,500	1,078.58
Bulgaria	1,286.78	1,897	1,200
Croatia	1,286.78	1,500	1,200
Cyprus	1,286.78	1,500	1,200
Denmark	1,286.78	1,500	1,200
Estonia	1,286.78	1,500	800

Listings for identity documents (such as passports, IDs, and driver’s licenses) are comparatively rare.
Most IDs are traded as digital scans, which are cheap and easy to duplicate. These can bypass identity verification and help open fraudulent accounts.
For more advanced fraud, hackers can buy “fullz” — complete identity packages that include personal details like Social Security numbers.
Most fullz come from the US — the market is flooded after years of data breaches, driving prices down to as low as $37 per fullz.

Email account and password prices

Country	Found	Average price ($)	Median price ($)
USA	2,806	25.32	26.5
Canada	1,276	25.28	26.5
Germany	1,276	25.94	25.94
France	571	25.97	25.97
UK	546	25.63	25.63
Netherlands	373	25.71	25.71
Italy	304	25.76	25.76
Spain	243	25.66	25.66
Australia	214	25.71	25.71
Brazil	184	25.52	25.52

Country	Found	Average price ($)	Median price ($)
Canada	2,632	27.11	29
USA	1,690	27.06	29
Singapore	50	24.77	25
France	47	24.84	27
Germany	44	25.91	27.25
Netherlands	40	25.37	27
UK	30	25.66	27
India	25	23.67	25
Australia	13	24.44	25
Brazil	12	23.32	25

Country	Found	Average price ($)	Median price ($)
Canada	136	25.49	26.75
USA	119	25.07	27
Singapore	6	27.28	28
France	3	25.5	25
India	3	27.67	28
UK	3	24.9	25
Germany	2	29.99	29.99
Ireland	2	22.6	22.6
Lithuania	2	22.25	22.25
Netherlands	2	27.75	27.75

Regular personal email accounts sell for as little as $1 due to limited utility (mainly spam or credential stuffing).
Corporate email accounts (such as Office 365 webmail) are more expensive because they serve as gateways to sensitive systems and confidential communications.
Initial access brokers overwhelmingly target high-value Western corporate infrastructure in North America and Europe.

Social media

Social media accounts

Platform	Found	Average price ($)	Median price ($)
Facebook	75	82.44	38
TikTok	44	111.82	60
Instagram	40	78.58	40
Snapchat	8	29.5	34.5
Telegram	5	15.6	12
Twitter	5	14	15
Reddit	3	20.33	15
Tinder	3	355	40
LinkedIn	1	299	299
Twitch	1	355	355
X	1	5.99	5.99
YouTube	1	380	380

Hacked social media accounts sell for about $40 on the dark web.
Facebook accounts dominate this market (up to 40% of all stolen accounts sold online).
A Facebook login can give access to connected Instagram accounts, business pages, or advertising tools.
The price is mainly determined by how old the account is — older accounts that were demonstrably used before can bypass security filters more easily.

Crypto

Company	Found	Average price ($)	Median price ($)
Coinbase	12	278.17	107.5
Binance	7	182.86	160
Kraken	6	170.17	150
Gemini	5	226.4	269
Paxful	5	239	180
Bybit	4	464.12	385.75
KuCoin	4	300	302.5
Poloniex	4	191.75	229
Bitget	3	289.67	239.01
Bitpanda	3	281	279

Payment cards

Payment card prices by:

Country	Found	Average price ($)	Median price ($)
USA	16,842	11.86	10
Spain	1,126	8.76	11.7
UK	1,079	9.42	12.19
Singapore	694	12.49	14.14
France	521	12.24	12.68
Canada	415	15.37	2.21
Kuwait	357	11.06	13.16
Italy	221	11.08	13.16
Ireland	205	10.51	12.19
Germany	183	11.10	12.68

Type	Found	Average price ($)	Median price ($)
Visa	13,666	10.77	10
Mastercard	3,149	12.25	12
American Express	276	12.41	8
Discover	114	10.66	8
Capital One	102	17.43	18.2
Bank of America	64	19.25	17.55
Revolut	57	9.09	11.7
Citibank	26	13.39	13.39
Monzo	18	13.5	16.58
Santander	17	8.98	3.9

Payment cards are the most commonly traded type of data on the dark web.
The average cost of a single stolen card is around $10.
Over 70% of all card listings come from North America.
Card prices seem to be based more on availability than potential value. The high volume of NA cards keeps their prices low, while the rarity of cards from wealthier Asian countries (like Japan) makes them more expensive.

Streaming services

Platform	Found	Average price ($)	Median price ($)
Spotify	15	29.2	28
Disney+	10	13.34	7.25
Hulu	10	19.79	24
DAZN	10	18.65	24
Crunchyroll	6	17.56	16.95
Netflix	5	15.6	4.55
Paramount+	4	4.74	3.24
Peacock	4	8.72	8.94
F1 TV	3	17.33	11.99
Amazon Prime	2	26	26
Apple Music	1	68	68
ESPN	1	12	12
Viaplay	1	6.99	6.99

Other

Other assets

Company	Found	Average price ($)	Median price ($)
Amazon	125	77.03	50
Walmart	11	31.82	28
Sephora	3	14.33	11
Canadian Tire	2	23.65	23.65
Best Buy	2	70	70
Vinted	1	195	195
Raley’s	1	6	6
Rona	1	11	11
SSENSE	1	11	11
Safeway	1	30	30

Company	Found	Average price ($)	Median price ($)
Chase	13	619	288
Bank of America	9	417	180
Wise	7	803	899
Citi	7	289	169
BMO	7	202	160
Wells Fargo	6	258	222.5
PayPal	6	106	110.5
Cash App	5	498	555
Chime	5	235	200
Capital One	5	193	145

Company	Found	Average price ($)	Median price ($)
Steam	8	88.75	80
Epic Games	3	55	55
PlayStation Network	1	150	150
PUBG	1	8	8
Roblox	1	99.99	99.99
Twitch	1	35	35
Xbox Live	1	27	27
Zynga	1	10	10

Company	Found	Average price ($)	Median price ($)
Airbnb	8	130	130
Grubhub	2	10	10
Domino’s	2	5.65	5.65
Subway	2	11.9	11.9
Pizza Hut	1	30	30
Restaurant.com	1	60	60
Turo	1	583	583
LCBO	1	44	44
Noodles & Company	1	30	30
Amazon Fresh	1	35	35

Retailer gift and store credit cards can be purchased for as cheap as $5.
Criminals use gift cards and store credits for money laundering — “aged” accounts are topped up with stolen payment methods to purchase items that can be resold easily.
Fully verified hospitality provider (like Airbnb) profiles with completed ID verification and real booking history let criminals book properties in someone else’s name. This can lead to other illegal activities.
Gift cards purchased with stolen credit cards are a common option for laundering money through gaming platforms — the resulting in-game items are then flipped for clean cash.
Steam has become something of a gateway for young threat actors. Many known criminals started out reselling accounts in gaming forums before transitioning to more serious cybercrime.

Key highlights

Payment cards are the most common type of traded data

Payment card listings dwarf most other types of stolen data by orders of magnitude, despite the stringent security standards for financial transactions. Card prices seem to be dictated by availability rather than potential value — payment cards from the US, which make up 70% of all available card listings, cost only around $10, while the much rarer cards from wealthier Asian countries go for a lot more.

Crypto accounts are worth their weight in gold

Stolen credit cards may require complex laundering operations (carding) to get the money out, but crypto has no such issues — a compromised crypto exchange provides direct access to liquid funds, acting as a gateway for laundering other stolen money. As a result, crypto accounts are, on average, some of the most expensive digital accounts on the dark web.

Hackers want your work email, not your personal one

Personal email accounts have limited utility to criminals, being mainly used for spam or credential stuffing attacks. These email accounts are sold in bulk, with individual prices averaging out to as little as $1 per item. The real prize seems to be corporate email accounts, which can give hackers a way into otherwise secure systems.

Gift cards are surprisingly effective way to launder money

Criminals buy gift cards with stolen credit cards, convert them to in-store purchases, and then sell those items back for clean money. Such money laundering schemes on gaming platforms like Steam seem to be popular among younger threat actors.

Every online account you own has a price tag on the dark web. Your streaming subscriptions, your email, your bank login, your social media profiles. Most people would be shocked at how little it costs a criminal to buy their entire digital identity.

Marijus Briedis

Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at NordVPN

Is your data for sale on the dark web?

Enter your email address to check if your information is on the dark web. It’s free!

Scanning web for leaks...

Making yourself safer with dark web monitoring

Forewarned is forearmed — if you know your data is listed for sale, you can act quickly to secure vulnerable accounts. NordVPN’s Dark Web Monitor™ keeps an eye on the criminal underground to warn you of impending threats.

A phone with an urgent Dark Web Monitor alert about the discovery of the user’s national ID on the dark web.

24/7 scans

Dark web monitoring tools constantly scour dark web marketplaces, hacker chat groups, and hidden forums for any mention of the assets you designate. Dark Web Monitor™ looks out for your email addresses, while Dark Web Monitor Pro™ also scans for national ID, Social Security number, and credit card information.

Instant alerts

Dark Web Monitor™ keeps you in the loop regarding potential dangers — if your data is found in a leaked database, our tool will alert you immediately with the details about the threat, such as the date of the breach, its severity, and what data is at risk.

Guided action

Dark Web Monitor™ doesn’t just alert you to the danger you’re in — it also provides easy, practical steps to help you deal with the situation. Follow our recommendations to minimize the risks associated with the stolen data and keep yourself safe online.

What else can I do to protect

my digital identity?

Prudence, common sense, and vigilance are all key to mitigating the risks of data exposure.

Don’t throw data away

Most of the information being sold on the dark web comes from data breaches. These incidents can affect any service, website, or app. You can do little to prevent data breaches from happening, but you most certainly can limit your exposure to harm. Never share sensitive information that isn’t strictly necessary, disable cookies and web trackers, and opt for services that respect your privacy.

Be alert for suspicious activity

A minor unexpected charge on your credit card could tip you off to a major incoming cyberattack. Enable transaction notifications on your financial apps and make sure to regularly review your bank statements. But don’t confine this vigilance to just your finances — set up your apps and web services to notify you if someone’s attempting to log in from an unfamiliar location or device.

Secure your accounts properly

Weak, simple passwords take seconds to brute force — and if you repeat it across multiple accounts, a single successful attack can put your whole digital life into jeopardy. Instead, use a trusted password manager like NordPass to protect each account with a unique combination. And don’t forget to enable multi-factor authentication — that way, even if your password is leaked, hackers won’t be able to move in without your authentication method.

A woman educating herself about dark web threats on her phone.

Our methodology

Our in-house research team analyzed nearly 75,000 listings for stolen data across multiple dark web marketplaces to put an accurate price tag on your data. We didn’t access the data itself — our focus was solely on the going rates for different pieces of information in the criminal underground.