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It is impossible to determine the exact number of carders in the world, as the activity is illegal and secretive. Carders operate anonymously, often through the dark web, and try to avoid detection. However, it is possible to estimate the scale of the problem based on cybercrime data, law enforcement reports, and cybersecurity research.
The main conclusion: Carding remains a serious problem for the global economy and cybersecurity. Combating this phenomenon requires joint efforts of law enforcement agencies, banks, and ordinary citizens.
1. Global Cybercrime Data
1.1. Cybercrime statistics
- According to various studies, such as reports from Cybersecurity Ventures, cybercrime in general (including carding) costs the global economy over $6 trillion annually.
- About 30-40% of all cybercrimes involve fraud using bank cards or personal data.
1.2. Number of victims
- Every year millions of people become victims of carding. For example:
- In 2025, there were more than 49 million cases of card data theft reported in the US alone.
- In Russia, according to the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, losses from card fraud amounted to about 50 billion rubles.
1.3. Penetration Level
- Experts estimate that less than 1% of the world's population is involved in cybercrime, including carding. This means that the potential number of carders could be in the hundreds of thousands.
2. Factors Affecting the Number of Carders
2.1. Development of technologies
- The more people use online banking, e-wallets and cashless payments, the wider the field for carders’ activities.
- The rise in popularity of cryptocurrencies is also fueling the rise in criminal activity as they use digital assets to launder money.
2.2. Availability of tools
- Carding tools (e.g. skimmers, card generators, phishing sites) are available on the darknet for relatively little money.
- The low entry threshold allows beginners to quickly get comfortable in this field.
2.3. Economic factors
- In countries with high levels of poverty or unemployment, carding sometimes becomes a "forced" way of earning money for some people.
- For example, in the countries of the former USSR and Southeast Asia there is increased activity of carders.
3. Estimation of the number of carders
3.1. Professional carders
- These are organized groups or individuals who are professionally involved in carding.
- Their number is estimated at several tens of thousands of people around the world.
3.2. Beginners and Amateurs
- Many people try their hand at carding without having any serious technical skills.
- There may be hundreds of thousands of such "amateurs", but their activities most often end in failure.
3.3. Organized groups
- Organized crime groups specializing in carding can have thousands of members.
- These groups operate worldwide and are often linked to other types of cybercrime.
4. Examples of investigations
4.1. Arrests of carders
- In 2022, Interpol carried out Operation HAECHI, aimed at combating cybercrime, including carding. More than 1,800 people were detained.
- Several hundred carders are identified in Russia every year, many of whom are linked to international groups.
4.2. Closing forums
- Police regularly shut down underground forums on the darknet where carders communicate and trade data. For example:
- In 2021, the popular DarkMarket forum , which had over 500,000 users, was closed.
5. Why is it difficult to calculate the exact amount?
5.1. Anonymity
- Carders use tools to hide their identity (eg Tor, VPN), making it difficult to detect them.
5.2. International character
- Carding often has a cross-border nature, and law enforcement agencies in different countries face difficulties in coordinating their efforts.
5.3. Incomplete data
- Many victims of carding do not report the incident out of fear or lack of knowledge about what to do.
- Banks and companies sometimes hide information about data thefts to avoid reputational damage.
Conclusion
While the exact number of carders in the world is unknown, experts estimate their number to be in the hundreds of thousands worldwide. Most of them are newbies or amateurs, but the most dangerous criminals are concentrated in organized groups.The main conclusion: Carding remains a serious problem for the global economy and cybersecurity. Combating this phenomenon requires joint efforts of law enforcement agencies, banks, and ordinary citizens.