Metaverses as a New Testing Ground for Carding: The Theft and Monetization of Digital Assets and Avatars

[Professor]

Introduction: From the Material to the Digital-Real​

By 2026, the concept of "carding" had radically transformed. While it previously meant the physical delivery of tangible goods to "drops" using stolen cards, its epicenter had now shifted to metaverses — spaces where digital assets acquire real economic value, and their theft becomes a highly profitable and difficult-to-track crime. Metaverses have become the ideal testing ground for next-generation schemes, blurring the line between virtual theft and real-world damage.

Part 1: A New Ontology of Value: What's Being Stolen in Metaverses​

The objects of carding are not just data, but digital entities with proven uniqueness and liquidity.

1. Digital Real Estate (Virtual Land):
   • Plots of virtual land in prestigious "neighborhoods" (near digital versions of Rodeo Drive or Times Square) have a market value of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Their theft through account compromise or hacking of the smart contract that manages the rights is equivalent to real property theft.
2. Unique assets (NFT and Beyond):
   • Digital art, collectibles, skins, and avatars released in limited editions by famous brands (Gucci, Nike) or artists. Their value is determined by rarity and prestige.
3. Identity and Reputation (Avatars & Social Capital):
   • Powerful avatars with a history, achievements, unique items, and high social status within the community. Their value can exceed that of many physical items. Digital identity theft means theft of years of investment, time and money, as well as access to exclusive communities and events.
4. Creator Tools:
   • Unique software tools, exclusive engine licenses for creating content within metaverses, and specialized AI models for design generation.

Part 2: Virtual Carding Tactics and Technologies​

The methods are adapted to the specifics of Web3 and immersive environments.

1. Immersive Phishing:
   • The creation of fake marketplaces, banks, or art galleries right within the metaverse. A user enters a convincingly designed "MetaBank" building to "resolve a wallet issue" and enters a seed phrase or signs a malicious transaction, thinking they are confirming their access.
   • Avatar-Based Social Engineering: Attackers use highly customized avatars to establish trust by joining guilds, participating in shared activities, and then offering a "great deal" or "help with setting up a wallet."
2. Avatar Hijacking & Cloning:
   • Avatar biometric theft: Exploiting vulnerabilities in facial tracking systems to steal unique behavioral patterns and then deep-clone the avatar for fraud.
   • Simultaneous Session Attacks: Using leaked login credentials, an attacker takes over an account while the victim is online and initiates asset transfers while the legitimate user is engaged in an immersive experience.
3. Exploiting vulnerabilities in smart contracts and cross-chain bridges:
   • Most assets live on the blockchain. The carder's goal isn't to steal a private key (which is difficult), but to trick the owner into approving the transfer or exploit a logic error in the marketplace's smart contract to purchase the asset at zero price.
   • Attacks on cross-chain bridges when transferring assets between different metaverses for their exchange or sale.
4. Rip-offs and economic fraud:
   • The creation of digital financial pyramids, fake investment pools, or liquidity farms within metaverses, promising incredible returns on investments in in-game currency or assets.

Part 3: The Monetization Chain: How Stolen Digital Money Becomes Real Money​

This is the key difference from the old product carding system. It doesn't require physical drops, but it does require complex financial engineering.

1. Quick resale on secondary markets (OTC transactions):
   • A stolen unique avatar or item is immediately listed on specialized marketplaces (such as OpenSea, but more often through private Discord/Telegram channels) at below-market prices for quick cash-out. Buyers often overlook the origin if the price is attractive.
2. Use as collateral (Collateralization):
   • Digital assets are used as collateral in decentralized finance (DeFi) to obtain stable cryptocurrencies (USDT, USDC), which are then easily converted into fiat. This creates an additional layer of abstraction and laundering.
3. Fractionalization & Mixing:
   • A unique asset can be broken down into multiple fragments (through NFT fragmentation), which are then mixed with fragments of legitimate assets and sold piecemeal, making tracing virtually impossible.
   • Using crypto mixers and blockchain hopping to launder proceeds.
4. Theft for blackmail (Ransomware for the digital self):
   • The attackers don't sell the stolen avatar, but rather block access to it and demand a ransom from its owner, for whom the avatar represents personal or commercial value (for example, an influencer or brand).

Part 4: Legal and Regulatory "Shadows": Why the Metaverse is a Carder's Paradise​

1. Jurisdictional vacuum: It is unclear which country's laws apply to the theft of a digital asset physically located on servers in one country, owned by a company in a second, purchased by a citizen of a third, and sold in a fourth.
2. The problem of classifying the crime: Is the theft of an NFT considered theft of property (like a painting) or theft of information? This determines the statute and the severity of the investigation. In most countries, there is no enforcement practice.
3. Pseudonymity: Access to metaverses often requires only a crypto wallet unlinked to a real identity. This makes it an ideal environment for money laundering.
4. Difficulty in assessing damages: The volatility of cryptocurrency prices and the subjective value of digital items make it difficult to calculate actual damages for a police report.

Part 5: Defenses in Digital Worlds​

Protection requires a new approach at the intersection of cybersecurity, economics, and law.

1. Technological level:
   • Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) and Verifiable Data (VC) stacks: Linking your avatar and assets not just to a wallet, but to a verifiable yet private digital identity that is harder to steal.
   • Multisig and social wallet recovery: Mandatory use of wallets with multiple verification keys and trusted party recovery mechanisms.
   • Built-in delays for high-value transactions: Introduce a 24-48 hour delay in confirming transactions with assets above a certain value to allow for reversal in the event of a hack.
2. Social and behavioral level:
   • Digital hygiene for immersive environments: Teaching users not to trust "friends" in metaverses without double-checking in other channels and verifying smart contract addresses.
   • Development of the Digital Notaries Institute: Trusted third parties providing cold storage of keys, transaction auditing, and brokerage services for large transactions.
3. Regulatory and legal level:
   • Recognition of digital assets as property at the legislative level in key jurisdictions.
   • International "red button" protocols: Establishing mechanisms for the rapid freezing of stolen assets at the request of law enforcement agencies at the level of backbone blockchain bridges and large marketplaces.
   • Platform self-regulation: Implementing mandatory KYC for high-value transactions and a user reputation system.

Conclusion: The Battle for Digital Sovereignty​

The metaverse hasn't simply created a new arena for an old crime. It has given rise to a fundamentally new form of criminal activity — meta-asset carding, where value is subjective, anonymity is easily achieved, and legal consequences are blurred.

This will trigger a sharp polarization in the coming years: on one side, the development of hyper-capitalist, anarchic digital territories where might and social engineering reign supreme. On the other, the emergence of regulated, secure "virtual city-states" with clear rules, police, and protection of digital property rights.

The battle for metaverses is not a battle of technologies, but a battle of economic and legal paradigms. Whoever can build a safe and fair environment for digital assets within them will not only gain an economic advantage but also determine whether these worlds become a new Wild West or the next stage of a civilized digital economy. Carding has evolved: it now steals not things, but parts of digital existence and status.