How much is your digital identity worth? NordVPN's new tool reveals the true price of identity theft

Date:
Fri, 08 May 2026 09:55:27 +0000

Description:
NordVPN has launched a calculator that helps you work out how much your digital footprint costs on the dark web

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter NordVPN has released a new tool that calculates the price of your online data It is based on research into 75,000 listings on dark web marketplaces The research shows that currently,
US data is the cheapest to buy NordVPN is inviting you to understand the
price of your personal data online with a new tool based on extensive dark
web research.

TechRadar's best VPN analysed over 75,000 listings on dark web marketplaces and compiled a list of personal data commonly traded there. From bank
accounts to Netflix subscriptions to credit card details, these data items were frequently sold on the dark web for as little as $5. To illustrate the point, the VPN provider has turned its entire research into an interactive calculator that helps you find out how much your unique and sensitive data is actually worth if it falls into the wrong hands. You may like Google killed its dark web scanner, but NordVPNs upgraded tool is here to fill the void Google killed its dark web scanner, but NordVPNs upgraded tool is here to
fill the void NordVPNs new tool helps you spot online scams and its free for everyone How does it work? NordVPNs calculator challenges users to find out their own digital value. By selecting their country and the types of data,
the tool displays a figure corresponding to the price a cybercriminal would pay to purchase that data bundle on the dark web.

Every online account you own has a price tag on the dark web, warns Marijus Briedis, CTO at NordVPN.

This is nothing new, perhaps: insurance companies have long been in the business of putting a monetary figure on a human life.

However, the dark web has gone a step further, enabling criminal market-dynamics to set the price of our digital assets at a shockingly low level - even just $1 for a personal email account if sold in bulk.

NordVPNs research shows that prices vary considerably from one country to another, depending on supply and demand dynamics.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Americans personal data is the most sought-after in the world. However, less obvious is that the abundance of security breaches there also makes it the cheapest to buy.

Stolen payment credit cards from North America are sold for as little as $10 and account for over 70% of all stolen card listings. However, in countries where stolen data is scarcer, such as Japan or Singapore, the same cards sell at a significant premium. What to read next Surfshark boosts its ultimate security bundle with $1 million identity theft protection I'm a VPN expert, and I've been using this $2 per month VPN deal for over two years to protect my phone, computer, and TV, as well as protect my devices from viruses and data breaches here's how you can claim it yourself Where does your money go when you buy a VPN?

The same logic applies to data packages - sets of information, including identification numbers and dates of birth, that are sufficient to steal someones identity. Where an American package sells for $35, a Japanese one is worth many times that amount. A subtle, dramatic threat The tool also shows how the effects of criminal theft can range from almost imperceptible to dramatic.

At one end of the spectrum, criminals can build continuous subscription-style businesses by stealing and reselling Netflix or Spotify accounts that cost as little as $4.55 and are often invisible to you.

At the other end, your complete identity, including social media accounts,
can be bought for less than $150, and massively disrupt your life.

Between these two extremes lies the intermediate corporate case, with NordVPN having found over 14,000 lists of corporate email addresses on the dark web. These accounts act as gateways to entire corporate networks, potentially leading to significant and often irreversible business damage.

The reality is that your data could already be for sale, and youd have no way of knowing unless you actively check, warns Briedis. Its Dark Web Monitoring Pro actively scans the dark web for leaked credit card numbers, tax identification numbers and phone numbers.

If our data is so cheap to buy, how should we react? If there is any key takeaway, it is that identity theft is not always dramatic, and vigilance is key.

As cyberattacks continue to rise, using unique passwords for each account via a reliable password manager, enabling multi-factor authentication, and limiting the sharing of personal information online can make all the difference. Today's best NordVPN deals NordVPN 2 Year 2.59 /mth View NordVPN
1 year 3.79 /mth View NordVPN 1 Month 9.69 /mth View



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-services/how-much-is-your-digital-identity-w orth-nordvpns-new-tool-reveals-the-true-price-of-identity-theft


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