'The number of messages mentioning escrow services surged in the second half of 2021, and coincided with the dynamics of cybercriminal activity in shadow Telegram channels in general. The sample includes messages from international forums and marketplaces on the dark web, as well as from publicly available Telegram channels used by cybercriminals (a total of 226 forums and 489 channels). In fact, the share of deals with escrow services can be higher since cybercriminals often discuss detailed terms in person without specifying all the particulars in announcements and offers.

These messages accounted for 14 per cent of the total number of deal-related messages on various dark web resources. The experts found the number of messages mentioning the use of an escrow agent (or other terms such as 'guarantor', 'middleman', 'intermediary', etc., designated to the same services) has amounted to more than one million from January 2020 to December 2022. Kaspersky Digital Footprint Intelligence team monitors the darknet to help companies track cybercriminal discussions and other types of activities to prevent incidents and mitigate risks related to data leaks. For expensive or untypical cases, cybercriminals still engage a human intermediary. It can be a human or an automatic system, developed to speed up and simplify relatively typical deals. When closing any transaction, such as buying databases, accounts, initial corporate accesses, etc., they use intermediary services of escrow agents. How such business is done on the darknet is described in a new report by Kaspersky Digital Footprint Intelligence team.Ĭybercriminals active on the darknet care about their own security, and do not want to become a victim of their 'colleagues'. However, the deal can still fail for various reasons, including those related to escrow scams. They partner with cybercriminals who want to sell or buy data, services, or conclude a partnership - usually earning from three to 15 per cent of the transaction.

Escrow agents are third-party intermediaries involved in such deals to control the fulfillment of agreements and reduce the risks of cheating. New Delhi, March 21 (ANI/Bloomingdale): Latest Kaspersky research reveals cybercriminals posted more than 1 million messages mentioning escrow services on the darknet in 2020-2022.

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