Security News > 2024 > May > Massive webshop fraud ring steals credit cards from 850,000 people
A massive network of 75,000 fake online shops called 'BogusBazaar' tricked over 850,000 people in the US and Europe into making purchases, allowing the criminals to steal credit card information and attempt to process an estimated $50 million in fake orders.
The cybercriminals host fake shops on previously expired domains with a good reputation with Google and typically pretend to sell shoes and clothing products at very low prices.
The payment pages on these sites either collect the victims' contact and credit card details or steal people's money via PayPal, Stripe, and credit card payments for non-existent orders they will never receive.
"The BogusBazaar core team deploys infrastructure and appears to operate only a small number of fake webshops. The core team is responsible for developing software, deploying backends, and customizing various WordPress plugins that support fraud operations."
The vast majority of the BogusBazaar shops are operated by an extensive, decentralized network of franchisees, who use the tools provided by the core team to manage the shops' day-to-day operations.
Japanese police create fake support scam payment cards to warn victims.