Most carders are good, smart and kind people.

This statement - "most carders are good, smart and kind people" - sounds extremely contradictory and does not correspond to reality. Although some carders may have technical skills, intelligence or even certain positive qualities in their personal life, their involvement in criminal activity completely discredits these qualities. Let's figure out why this characterization of carders is wrong and why it is important to separate a person's personal qualities from their actions.

1. Why might it seem that carders are "good and smart"?​

a) Technical skills​

• Many carders actually have a high level of technical literacy:
  • Knowledge of IT, programming, networks.
  • Ability to find vulnerabilities in systems.
• However, using these skills for illegal purposes makes their actions immoral.

b) Charisma and cunning​

• Some carders can be charismatic, persuasive and able to manipulate people.
• This helps them to deceive victims or hide from law enforcement.

c) Personal life​

• Outside of criminal activity, carders can be good friends, caring family men, or even activists in their community.
• However, this does not justify their illegal actions.

2. Why can't carders be considered "good and kind"?​

a) Criminal activity​

• Carding causes real harm to people, businesses and society:
  • People lose money that is often impossible to get back.
  • Small businesses can go bankrupt due to fraudulent transactions.
  • Banks are increasing fees for all clients due to losses from fraudsters.

b) Illegality​

• Participation in carding violates the laws of most countries.
• It is a crime punishable by imprisonment, fines and confiscation of assets.

c) Ethical side​

• Even if carders are "kind" in their personal lives, their actions directly exploit the vulnerabilities of others.
• For example, pensioners or low-income families may find themselves in difficult situations due to fraud.

3. Separation of personality and actions​

a) Person ≠ Actions​

• Someone may be smart, talented, and even kind in everyday life, but that does not justify their criminal behavior.
• Example: A cheater may be a good friend, but his actions still cause harm to society.

b) Passion and self-deception​

• Some carders genuinely believe that they are "not doing anything wrong", especially if their actions seem harmless (such as testing cards).
• However, any fraud has consequences, even if they are not immediately visible.

4. How can carders change?​

a) Transition to the legal side​

• Many former carders successfully apply their skills in the IT, cybersecurity or fintech industries.
• Example: Kevin Mitnick became a cybersecurity consultant after being released from prison.

b) Education and Certification​

• Obtaining legitimate certifications (e.g. CISSP, CEH) helps you find a job in the data protection field.

c) Contribution to society​

• Using your knowledge to prevent cybercrime instead of committing it.

5. Why is it important not to justify carding?​

a) Maintaining law and order​

• Justifying carding undermines trust in financial systems and makes life more difficult for all users.

b) Protection of victims​

• Every fraudulent activity has real victims who suffer from loss of money or stress.

c) Social responsibility​

• We are all responsible for maintaining justice and following the laws.

6. Conclusion​

While some carders may have positive qualities such as intelligence, technical skills, or charisma, their involvement in criminal activity completely negates these traits. Carding is an illegal, immoral, and dangerous activity that causes harm to society. Rather than condoning such actions, it is important to support the transition to legal ways of using one’s skills.

If you would like to learn more about how former carders are turning their lives around or how to use their skills for good, write!

Carding is a criminal activity that has serious consequences for both the scammers and their victims. Regardless of the personal qualities of the participants, their actions cause real harm to people and violate the law.

Why can't carding be romanticized?​

1. The victims are ordinary people
   • Pensioners, families, small businesses are losing money they have saved for years.
   • In 2024, 45% of carding victims in Russia were unable to return the stolen funds.
2. The law does not divide criminals into "good" and "bad"
   • The Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (Articles 159, 187) provides for up to 10 years in prison, regardless of the motives.
   • In the US/EU the penalties are even stricter.
3. Technology makes carding pointless
   • EMV chips, AI fraud monitoring and Chainalysis block 99% of attacks.
   • 87% of carders are caught in the first year (Europol data).

What to do if you have skills?​

Channel them into legal channels:
Penetration testing — testing bank protection (salary up to $7,000/month).
Bug Bounty — earning money by searching for vulnerabilities (up to $1 million per find).
Cybersecurity — protecting people, not robbing them.

Example: Former hacker Kevin Mitnick, after serving time, became a security expert and now helps companies fight fraud.

Conclusion​

Even if carders seem "smart" or "kind" to you, their actions ruin lives. True intelligence and kindness are in using skills for protection, not for crime.

Want to know about legal professions in IT? Ask!