How to protect your money from the dark web

The dark web has become a hotspot for credit card fraud and other financial crimes. Here’s how you can protect your private details and stay safe

Man typing at his laptop computer at night
(Image credit: Westend61)

Many people are unaware that on the dark web, their credit card details are under threat.

That’s according to the latest data from the publisher Independent Advisor VPN, which showed that cloned credit cards are the number one use of the dark web with over 8,000 searches.

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CityPopulationDark web searchessearches per 100,000 people
Manchester470,4117,9101,628
Bolton184,0732,9501,603
Slough166,8772,5401,522
Liverpool506,5527,1201,406
Peterborough190,5842,5001,312
Birmingham1,121,40814,7001,311
Huddersfield 141,6921,8401,299
Milton Keynes197,3542,4901,262
London8,776,535108,0001,231
Leeds536,3216,5701,225
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Rank Most searched-for topicResults
1 Cloned American Express 3,003
2 Cloned Mastercard 2,824
3 Cloned VISA 2,751
4 PayPal Account 2,723
5 Bet365 account 2,601
6 Crunchyroll Account 2,553
7 Instagram account 2,514
7 Hulu Account 2,514
8 Gift Card 2,513
9 HBO Account 2,512
10 Amazon Account 2,421
Oojal Dhanjal
Editorial Content Producer

Oojal has a background in consumer journalism and is interested in helping people make the most of their money.Oojal has an MA in international journalism from Cardiff University, and before joining MoneyWeek, she worked for Look After My Bills, a personal finance website, where she covered guides on household bills and money-saving deals.Her bylines can be found on Newsquest, Voice Wales, DIVA and Sony Music, and she has explored subjects ranging from politics and LGBTQIA+ issues to food and entertainment.Outside of work, Oojal enjoys travelling, going to the movies and learning Spanish with a little green owl.