Republic ranks second globally for stolen payment cards

Singapore ranks second among countries for stolen payment cards, after the US and ahead of Spain, a recent study showed.

- Sheila Chiang Business Correspondent

However, this does not necessarily mean that Singaporeans are more vulnerable.

Rather, it reflects a combination of factors, including the country's high level of digitalisation and the widespread use of online payments, said NordVPN cyber-security adviser Adrianus Warmenhoven.

The US accounts for the largest share of stolen payment cards worldwide, with more than 60 per cent of such cards belonging to American users. Singapore comes in second at about 11 per cent and Spain third around 10 per cent.

These were findings from Nord-Stellar, a threat exposure management platform created by NordVPN. NordStellar researchers analysed stolen payment card data being sold on Dark Web marketplaces. The dataset, collected in May 2025, included about 50,700 card records.

The Dark Web is a part of the internet that lets people hide their identity and location, and is often used by criminals to sell stolen personal information.