Using My Python Skills To Punish Credit Card Scammers

Step-by-Step Tutorial: Using Python to Punish Credit Card Scammers

1. Identifying the Scam Message:

   • Start by receiving a scam text message claiming to offer a free PlayStation 5 in exchange for a $1 delivery fee.
   • Understand that the scam is designed to steal credit card information and potentially lead to fraudulent charges.

2. Investigating the Scam:

   • Copy the provided URL from the scam message and paste it into an incognito window on a secure browser like Brave.
   • Follow the redirects until you reach a page where you are prompted to fill in your shipping address and pay a $1 delivery fee.

3. Testing the Scam:

   • Enter fake data for the credit card number and CVV.
   • Attempt to proceed with the order by clicking "Order Now."
   • Observe the message indicating that the card is expired, suggesting a real credit card validation process is in place.

4. Creating a Program to Punish the Scammer:

   • Use Python to create a script that generates multiple declined transactions, potentially costing the scammer money for processing fees.
   • Open the Chrome console to analyze the network request being made when attempting to process the payment.

5. Imitating the Request:

   • Identify the necessary parameters for the request, such as credit card information (number, expiration, CVV).
   • Copy these parameters into a variable called data that will be sent in the request to the scammer's endpoint URL.

6. Sending the Request:

   • Use the requests library in Python to send a POST request to the scammer's URL with the credit card information.
   • Print out the response to confirm the transaction status.

7. Scaling Up the Request Rate:

   • To increase the impact of the script, create multiple threads to send simultaneous requests.
   • Implement a loop to start and join each thread, allowing for multiple requests to be sent concurrently.

8. Running the Script:

   • Execute the Python script to send a high volume of declined transactions to the scammer's payment gateway.
   • Monitor the script's output to observe the increasing number of declined transactions and associated reference IDs.

9. Observing the Impact:

   • Watch as the scammer's system processes a large number of declined transactions, potentially incurring processing fees for each attempt.
   • Consider stopping the script once a significant number of transactions have been sent to the scammer.

10. Conclusion:

    • Reflect on the process of using Python programming skills to combat credit card scammers.
    • Highlight the importance of staying vigilant against online scams and protecting personal information.
    • Remember to report any suspicious messages or websites to relevant authorities to help prevent others from falling victim to similar scams.

By following these steps, you can learn how to analyze and combat online scams using programming skills effectively.