How ruthless cyber gangs could flog YOUR most private details for £36 – as celeb attack reveals dangerous criminal trend

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CYBER security experts are warning Brits of online shopping risks after an unknown hacker is touting thousands of personal details.

The Met Police are investigating a data breach after an online post where a cyber crook with the moniker ‘GOD User’ claimed to have 409,000 street addresses to sell to criminals.

Currently, no major hacking group has claimed responsibility for the attack. It is feared that the data could be flogged cheaply en masse or that a bidding war may begin.

Prestigious Mayfair brand 77 Diamonds, which sells jewellery for thousands to £1million-plus, was the brand targeted just a couple of weeks ago supposedly due to their wealthy clientele.

They included Premier League footballers and Hear’Say singer Myleene Klass, whose fiance Simon Motson purchased a £35,000 bespoke, black diamond engagement ring from them, back in 2020.

The data breach has led to fear clients may be burgled and other attacks may take place.

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He tells us: “If these threat actors do have the home addresses of 77 Diamonds’ clients then that would be alarming. There is a big danger it would be sold on.

“If it does get sold onto OCGs or scammers they may well use it to get more money from victims or to target properties and commit burglaries.”

Foster, who used to work in regional organised crime, explains The Met will be treating the attack as “an extortion crime in action”.

He says: “The police will first try to work out what information the hackers have got, how they got it and consider all sorts of angles.

“Is there a vulnerability in any software used or their services? They will look into insider threats. They won’t rule anything out and will investigate all elements.”

Foster suspects the hacker could be “someone new to the game” or an individual unaffiliated with a larger cyber attack group.

He tells us: “Normally, the big players will make an announcement about them being responsible. They want other hacking groups to know it was them.

“It’s also a way of advertising what they have for sale. Hackers use the dark web because, due to the way it works, it protects them and provides them with anonymity.

“Typically, threat actors aim for a very high price. They will research the company they are targeting and use AI to find out how much it is worth.

“If they know the company has £15million in assets they will aim for that. They will also look to see if the company has cyber insurance too.”

While 77 Diamonds does not hold banking card details, the data stolen from customers still remains a risk. The company has not explained what information hackers have.

Government analysis revealed that cyber attacks costs the UK £14.7billion a year, roughly 0.5 per cent of our GDP, and fraud linked to organisational data breaches cost around £755million.

Cybersecurity expert Muhammad Yahya Patel, 32, of Huntress, tells The Sun: “Worryingly, it’s not massively expensive to buy this type of data on the dark web.

“It can be as little as $50 (£36) for an individual’s details. For mass databases, it could be hundreds of dollars.

“But sometimes, when the data is more valuable, auctions do take place with criminals trying to sell it on the dark web marketplaces for a higher price.

“Due to this hack dealing with luxury jewellery, the wealth attached to it makes it much more lucrative for OCGs.”

Patel, of Blackburn, warns it could see crime gangs in the UK or overseas impersonating 77 Diamonds and crafting “highly convincing, hyper personalised” scams.

If they have customers’ home addresses, emails, phone numbers and purchase details it could lead to crooks tricking them into surrendering bank details or further information.

In response to the attack, Tobias Kormind, managing director of 77 Diamonds, has emailed customers who have purchased jewellery from the last 11-plus years.

He will be hoping to avoid an outcome similar to blighted fellow British jewellers Graff, who were extorted for $7.5million (£5.5m), in September 2021.

The payout followed Russia-based hacker group Conti stealing 69,000 confidential files, containing personal data from more than 11,000 clients, in a ransomware attack.

David Beckham, Donald Trump, Tom Hanks, Oprah Winfrey and members of the Middle East royal families were all known customers.

The government estimates that cyber attacks cost the UK economy £14.7billion a year and a recent survey found 43 per cent of all businesses have been targeted.

Jaguar Land Rover, Marks & Spencer and Co-Op were all hit by hackers last year, costing them hundreds of millions of pounds.

For 77 Diamonds, the full details are yet to emerge. But it is believed the firm is in contact with the cyber crook. The Metropolitan Police’s cyber crime unit is also investigating.

They received a ‘sample’ of the stolen data. While it did not include customers’ home addresses, inquiries are still ongoing. The hacker claims to have that information.

Among the most prolific hacking groups is Scattered Spider, a collective crime group composed of hackers from across the globe including multiple teenagers.

They are believed to have extorted targets for more than £85million after striking large-scale companies including MGM Resorts International, Las Vegas gambling and hotel firm Caesars Entertainment, Marks & Spencer and Transport For London (TFL).

For that latter hack, said to be the largest in UK history, they managed to steal more than 10 million people’s personal data after impersonating an employee and gaining access to TFL’s website in 2024.

In July, Owen Flowers, now 18, of Walsall, West Mids, and Thalha Jubair, 20, of East London, were jailed for nearly six years for the hack.

The duo brazenly streamed online to show-off to fellow crooks and Flowers quipped at the time: “Scattered Spider is creating webs on the London Underground.”

They sifted through the data to try to find the personal details of celebrities before attempting to access their banking details to steal their money. Their actions cost TFL £39million in losses.

Cyber crooks typically try to sell data on the dark web, which is renowned as a market place for criminals and where everything from scammers tools to guns and illegal drugs are sold.

Patel adds: “It’s relatively easy to access and not massively difficult if someone knows how to access these networks.”

What exactly the hackers stole from 77 Diamonds is yet to be fully ascertained. Our experts claim threat actors “do exaggerate the data they have stolen to demand more money”.

They warn customers of the jeweller firm to be wary. They may receive fake messages about deliveries, insurance for their items or from the company themselves.

Patel tells us: “It would be about something related to their specific order and using all the details they have obtained, making it highly convincing.

“They may include a link to get more information or try to confirm payment details. It will be hyper personalised to individuals and may impersonate 77 Diamonds.”

Any messages, emails or phone calls like this should be a red flag to customers, who have been warned about the suspected hack and risk of follow-ups.

Our experts warn it is not just companies beloved by the wealthy that are being targeted by hackers but businesses of all sizes, if they hold our personal data.

Patel adds: “Unfortunately, in the digital era, this type of hack happens almost every day and it’s not just luxury brands.