The Language of Fraudsters – A Modern-Day Fraudster’s Terminology Breakdown
Introduction
The modern-day fraudster has developed their own slang and terminology, and while this language helps threat actors communicate and conduct operations; It can be difficult and alien for an us “good guys” to understand.
Hopefully, this breakdown will help fill some of your knowledge gaps!
Terminology
Fullz: Full information, typically referring to a victim’s stolen bank card or identification.
Method: A way for a threat actor to conduct fraud, such as getting free designer clothing.
Proofs: Evidence of the legitimacy of a method, aka proving a method works.
Mainstream / Highstreet: Refers to Highstreet banks, such as Barclays and NatWest.
Logs: Text files containing compromised account details, such as a retail store victim’s login details.
Chop: Selling stolen bank accounts.
White cards: Cards loaded with a stolen bank account (The cards are commonly plain white).
F2F: Face to Face meeting, a fraudster meeting another person in real life.
Holder: An owner of an account, such as a bank account.
Loader: A person who puts money into an account, typically to conduct fraud.
Vishing: Conduct fraud through voice or calls.
SIM Swapping: A threat actor take control of a victim’s SIM card.
Addy: Address, this could be a real location or point of contact like an email address.
Mule: Someone to move dirty money through, allowing a threat actor to cash out more “safely”.
White names: English white names, commonly requested to conduct fraud attacks.
E-Whoring: Pretending to be a female online, tricking victims into sending money for adult content.
Pig Butchering: A scam designed to drain all the financial funds a victim holds. (Also known as “Sha Zhu Pan”).
Conclusion
The above terms are just some seen in use amongst cybercrime locations. Want to learn more? Check out my BSides Leeds talk on “Cyber Fraud Landscape” which is a great introduction to the landscape!