From Card Data to Digital Identity: The Evolution of the 21st-Century Identity Theft Target

[Professor]

Abstract: An analysis of the transition from simple card number theft ("balance") to complex identity theft ("fullz", "full info"). What does this reveal about the changing value of data and the new threats facing society?

Introduction: Digital Reflection That's Worth More Than Your Wallet​

Imagine a burglar breaking into a house. Previously, their target was the safe in the hallway, filled with cash and money. Today, without touching the safe, they carefully photograph all the documents on the table: passport, driver's license, diploma, medical records, password notebook, family photos, and then quietly disappear. They haven't stolen money. They've stolen an identity.

This is precisely the qualitative shift that has occurred in the digital world. The era when a cybercriminal's primary goal was someone else's card balance is a thing of the past. A new, far more valuable object is emerging: a complete digital identity. Understanding this evolution is key not only to personal security but also to understanding how deeply we have integrated into the digital environment and what is truly at stake.

Chapter 1. The Age of "Balance": Money as the Ultimate Goal​

In the 2000s and early 2010s, the logic of digital theft was straightforward and clear. The goal was financial resources.

• Object of theft: Payment card data (number, expiration date, CVV) or, ideally, the actual card itself.
• Slang: "Balance". This word perfectly conveys the essence: the thief is only interested in the number on the account.
• Methods: Skimming, phishing, mass hacking of store databases where card numbers were stored.
• Action after theft: Quickly drain funds through the purchase of liquid goods or cash withdrawals. The card then "burns."
• Damage to the victim: Material and fairly local. The card was blocked, the transactions were disputed, and a new one was issued. It was stressful, but the scope of the problem was clear.

In this system, a person was merely a cardholder, and theft was a one-time incident.

Chapter 2. The Birth of the "Fullz": Why Personality Became More Valuable Than Money​

With increased financial security (chips, 3-D Secure, fraud monitoring), it's become more difficult to simply steal and quickly spend money. The criminal underworld, like water, found a new opening. They realized that money is now tied not to a card, but to an identity, and access to it must be verified. Thus, the term "fullz" was born and gained prominence. It's not just a card number. It's a complete set of data that allows for the impersonation of a person:

• Full name, date and place of birth.
• Passport details, SSN.
• Residential address, travel history.
• Phone numbers, linked accounts.
• Pet's name, mother's maiden name - answers to "secret questions".
• Facial data, fingerprints (if leaked from some databases).

"Fulz" is a digital imprint of one's personality. Its value lies in its long-term and reusable use.

Chapter 3. New Threats: What Can You Do with a Stolen Digital Identity?​

With "fulz," crime ceases to be a one-time act. It becomes a long-term exploitation of a resource.

1. Credit fraud: Taking out loans and credit cards in the victim's name. This isn't just stealing existing money, but creating a debt that the victim will then have to deal with for years.
2. Imitating the owner to bypass security: To trick the bank's system that verifies identity using a passport, they called the call center. With "fullz", the attacker can answer any verification questions, convincing the security service that they are you.
3. Blackmail and compromise: Use of personal data to exert pressure, especially if sensitive information (correspondence, photos) is leaked.
4. Corporate espionage and targeted attacks: An employee's "full identity" is the golden key to a corporate network. A phishing email personalized with their personal information has a much higher chance of success.
5. Selling on specialized markets: Data is becoming a commodity with a clearly defined price range: "fresh" fullz with active maps are more expensive, while databases by country and age are sold wholesale.

The shift in target has shifted the damage. It's now not just money, but also credit history, reputation, name recognition, peace of mind, and privacy.

Chapter 4. Why Did This Happen? The Sociotechnological Roots of the Shift​

The evolution of the object of theft is not random. It mirrors the evolution of society.

1. Digitalization of government and business: We no longer carry our passports with us — its data is stored in databases we access through gov portal. Our identity, authenticated through a set of personal data, has become the key to all services.
2. Social networks as a treasure trove of identity: Voluntarily posted biographies, photos, geotags, and connections between people are ready-made material for supplementing "fullz" and social engineering.
3. The Trust Economy: The modern financial and consumer market (loans, installments, rent) is built on automated digital profile verification. A stolen identity allows this trust to be abused on an industrial scale.
4. The fusion of the digital and physical selves: Our identity no longer ends at the skin's edge. Our digital selves are as much a real asset as an apartment or an education. Criminals realized this before many of us.

Chapter 5. Personal Protection: New Rules of the Game​

It's no longer your wallet that needs to be protected, but your digital self. This requires a paradigm shift.

• The old paradigm: "Don't lose your card, don't show your PIN."
• The new paradigm: "Your data is your responsibility. Value it as a treasure."

Practical steps:

1. Digital hygiene: Separate passwords, use two-factor authentication (not via SMS, but in the app), be careful on social media.
2. Data Minimalism: Ask, "Why does this service need my passport data?" before providing it. Share the bare minimum.
3. Monitor your digital footprint: Periodically check to see if you've been exposed in leaks (like services like Have I Been Pwned), and monitor your credit history.
4. Fostering a New Understanding: Explaining to children that sharing personal information online is like giving out copies of your house keys to strangers.
5. Privacy-protecting technologies: Use password managers, VPNs on public networks, and be mindful of app permissions.

Conclusion: It's not the data, it's the person​

The transition from balance theft to fullz theft is a symptom of our collective maturity in the digital world. We've built a wonderful, convenient civilization where identity is a code that opens doors. But this same civilization has made our identities vulnerable on a new, frightening scale.

This is not a reason to panic and abandon technology. It's a reason for awareness and maturity. We must understand that protecting our digital identity is not a technical problem that banks will solve for us. It's a new frontier of personal responsibility.

We once learned not to leave our wallets in plain sight. Now we're learning not to leave our lives, encrypted in data, in plain sight. Full-value theft cannot be 100% prevented, but it can be rendered meaningless by building a system of personal digital security where stolen data is simply a pile of useless digital garbage, not the key to our lives.

We have gone from being cardholders to being the sovereigns of our digital identities. And this sovereignty now requires protection – no less carefully than our security in the physical world.