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“Looking back to the 1990s and early 2000s, you needed to have a reasonable level of technical competence to pull off these types of crimes,” Nicholas Court, assistant director of Interpol’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, told CNBC.

Imaginima | E+ | Getty Images

An expanding network of cybercrime marketplaces is making it easier than ever to become a professional fraudster, posing unprecedented cybersecurity threats worldwide, experts warn.

Cybercriminals are often portrayed in popular media as rogue and highly skilled individuals, wielding coding and hacking abilities from a dimly lit room. But such stereotypes are becoming outdated. 

“Looking back to the 1990s and early 2000s, you needed to have a reasonable level of technical competence to pull off these types of crimes,” Nicholas Court, assistant director of Interpol’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, tells CNBC. 

Today, the barriers to entry have come down “quite significantly,” Court said. For example, obtaining personal data, such as email addresses, and sending them spam messages en masse — one of the oldest online scams in the book — has never been easier.

Cybersecurity experts say the change is due to advances in scam technology and the growth of organized online markets where cybercrime expertise and resources are bought and sold. 

A growing cybercrime economy 

“The last decade or so has seen an evolution of rogue cybercriminals into organized groups and networks all of which are part of a thriving underground economy,” said Tony Burnside, vice president and head of Asia-Pacific at Netskope, a cloud security company.

Driving that trend has been the emergence of global underground markets that offer “cybercrime-as-a-service” or “CaaS,” through which vendors charge customers for different types of malicious tools and cybercrime services, he added.

Examples of CaaS include ransomware and hacking tools, botnets for rent, stolen data, and anything else that may aid cybercriminals in their illicit activities.

“The availability of these services certainly helps in enabling more cybercriminals, allowing them to scale up and sophisticate their crime while reducing the technical expertise required,” Burnside said. 

CaaS is often hosted on markets in the “darknet” — a part of the internet that uses encryption technology to protect the anonymity of users.

Examples include Abacus Market, Torzon Market and Styx, though the top markets often change as authorities shut them down and new ones emerge. 

Burnside adds that the criminal gangs operating CaaS services and markets have begun to operate like “legitimate organizations in their structure and processes.”

Meanwhile, vendors on these illicit exchanges tend to accept payments only in cryptocurrency in attempts to remain anonymous, obscure proceeds and evade detection. 

Silk Road, an infamous dark web marketplace that was shut down by law enforcement in 2013, is recognized by many as one of the earliest large-scale applications of cryptocurrency.

Darknet emerges from shadows 

Though the use of cryptocurrencies in the cybercrime market can help obscure the identities of participants, it can also make their activities more traceable on the blockchain, according to Chainalysis, a blockchain research firm that traces illicit crypto transactions. 

According to Chainalysis data, while darknet markets remain a major factor in the global cybercrime ecosystem, more activity is moving to the public internet and secure messaging services like Telegram. 

The largest of those marketplaces identified by Chainalysis is Huione Guarantee — a platform affiliated with Cambodian conglomerate Huione Group — which the firm says acts as a “one-stop shop for nearly every form of cybercrime.”

The Chinese-language platform operates as a peer-to-peer marketplace where vendors offer services Chainalysis says are linked to illicit activity like money laundering and crypto-based scams.

Vendors pay to advertise on the Huione website, often directing interested parties into private Telegram groups. If a sale is made, Huione appears to act as an escrow and dispute intermediary to “guarantee” the exchange.

Chainalysis data shows that vendors on Huione Guarantee have processed a staggering $70 billion in crypto transactions since 2021. Meanwhile, Elliptic, another blockchain analytics firm, estimates that Huione Group entities have received at least $89 billion in crypto assets, making it “the largest ever illicit online marketplace.

The platform advertises and directs potential buyers to vendor groups on Telegram that offer everything from scam technology and money laundering to escort services and illicit goods. 

Judging from the scale and volume of the transactions on Huione Guarantee, it is likely leveraged by numerous organized criminal groups, according to Andrew Fierman, head of national security intelligence at Chainlaysis.

However, he adds that the many services don’t cost much money, providing a low barrier to entry and access point into cybercrime for “anyone with internet connection.” 

According to Chainalysis, individuals looking to facilitate “romance” or investment scams may be able to purchase the necessary tools and services on Huione for just a couple of hundred dollars. Costs can reach thousands of dollars, depending on the level of complexity they are looking to execute.

Investing or romance scams involve a fraudster building a relationship with a victim via social media or dating apps, intending to con them out of money through a sham investment opportunity.

A scammer attempting to pull off this type of scam might shop Huione Guarantee for a portfolio of potential victims’ data, such as phone numbers; old social media accounts that appear to be from real people; and AI-powered facial and voice manipulation software, which can be used by a scammer to digitally disguise themselves. 

Other vendors on the site offer services related to the creation of fake investment and gambling platforms. Fiermen says scammers often deceive victims into depositing money on such platforms.

In a disclaimer on its website, the platform says it does not participate in or understand its customers’ specific businesses and is responsible only for guaranteeing payments between buyers and sellers, according to a CNBC translation of the Chinese-language statement.

According to Fierman, Huione Guarantee’s activity appears to be concentrated in Cambodia and China, but there’s evidence that other platforms are emerging. 

‘Child’s play’

As CaaS and cybercrime markets continue to grow, the technology that is offered and leveraged by criminal vendors has also advanced, allowing more sophisticated scams on scale — with less effort, experts say. 

AI-generated deepfake videos and voice cloning are increasingly looking more real, with previously infeasible attacks now realistic thanks to generative AI advancements, according to Kim-Hock Leow, Asia CEO of cybersecurity company Wizlynx Group. 

Last year, Hong Kong police reported that a finance worker at a multinational firm had been tricked into paying out $25 million to fraudsters using deepfake technology to pose as the company’s chief financial officer in a video conference call.

“This would have been completely impossible to pull off just a few years ago, even for criminals with technical skills, and now it is a viable attack even for those without,” added NetSkope’s Burnside.

Meanwhile, cybersecurity experts told CNBC that AI tools can be used to enhance phishing and social engineering scams, helping to write more personalized and human-like messages. 

“It has become child’s play to create really convincing fake emails, audio notes, images or videos designed to scam and trick victims,” said Burnside, noting that dark variants of legitimate generative AI tools continue to find their way into dark markets. 

Prevention efforts

Because of the global and anonymous nature of CaaS vendors and cybercrime marketplaces, they are very difficult to police, cybersecurity experts told CNBC, noting that markets that are shut down often resurface under different names or are replaced.

For that reason, Interpol’s Nicholas Court says cybercrime isn’t the type of activity “you can arrest your way out of.” 

“The volume of criminality is going up so fast that it is actually harder for law enforcement to catch the same proportion of cybercriminals,” he said, adding that this calls for a significant focus on prevention and public awareness campaigns to warn about the rapid sophistication of scams and AI tools.

“Almost everybody receives scam messages these days. While it used to be enough to tell people not to send money to someone that refuses to video call, that’s not enough anymore.” 

On the enterprise level, Wizlynx Group’s Leow says that as cybercriminals become more tech- and AI-savvy, so must companies’ cybersecurity protocols.

For example, AI tools can be used to help automate security systems on the enterprise level, lowering the threshold for detection and accelerating response times, he added.

Meanwhile, new tools are emerging, such as “dark web monitoring,” which can track cybercrime markets and underground forums for leaked or stolen data, including credentials, financial data, and intellectual property.

It’s “never been easier” to commit cybercrime, so it’s crucial to prioritize cybersecurity by investing in technological solutions and enhancing employee awareness, Leow said. 

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CNBC Daily Open: There’s a hopeful mood in the Middle East and the markets

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CNBC Daily Open: There's a hopeful mood in the Middle East and the markets

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks while World leaders listen during a summit of European and Middle Eastern leaders on Gaza on October 13, 2025 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images

This might not be Christmas, but the war in the Middle East is over — at least according to U.S. President Donald Trump.

On Monday, Trump declared at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, that the “long and painful nightmare” was finally over for both the Israelis and Palestinians. More straightforwardly, Trump gave an unequivocal “yes” when asked by reporters if the war in the Middle East has ended, Reuters reported.

A similarly hopeful mood permeated markets, though for different reasons. After hitting China with 100% additional tariffs and triggering a sell-off on Friday, Trump appeared to walk back his stance, posting on Truth Social that “it will all be fine” with China.

And thus was TACO back on traders’ menus: Major U.S. stock indexes rebounded, with technology stocks leading the charge. Quantum computing names popped after JPMorgan Chase announced it will be investing $10 billion in sectors crucial to national interests.

Broadcom, meanwhile, surged almost 10% after it jointly announced a partnership with — who else? — OpenAI to build and deploy custom chips. But where this puts Nvidia, OpenAI’s other near and dear one, and on whose chips the ChatGPT maker relies, remains a question.

Though Christmas has yet to arrive, OpenAI is starting to look like the tech sector’s Santa Claus.

— CNBC’s Holly Ellyatt contributed to this report.

What you need to know today

War in the Middle East is over, Trump says. At Israel’s parliament, Trump gave a speech in which he said that the “long and painful nightmare” for both the Israelis and Palestinians was over. He also urged, at a separate event, for leaders to put “old feuds” behind.

Broadcom joins the OpenAI party. The two companies announced Monday that they’re planning to develop and deploy OpenAI-designed chips, amounting to 10 gigawatts, starting late next year. Shares of Broadcom popped almost 10% on the news.

JPMorgan says it will invest $10 billion in critical industries. The four areas of focus — which the bank considers crucial to U.S. security — are: defense and aerospace, “frontier” technologies such as AI, energy technology and supply chain and advanced manufacturing.

Stocks claw back some losses. On Monday stateside, major U.S. stock indexes rose, rebounding from Friday’s carnage. The S&P 500 regained 56% of Friday’s decline. Europe’s Stoxx 600 index climbed 0.44%, lifted by mining stocks.

[PRO] European sectors less affected by trade war. The continent isn’t in the crosshairs of Trump’s latest tariffs, but a weakening U.S. dollar could affect Europe’s exports. UBS picks three sectors more shielded from that — leaving out a notable one.

And finally…

U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Argentina’s President Javier Milei during the 80th United Nations General Assembly, in New York City, New York, U.S., Sept. 23, 2025.

Alexander Drago | Reuters

The U.S. has stepped in with an extraordinary bailout of Argentina. Here’s what it means

In a move that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Thursday on social media site X, the U.S. is providing a $20 billion currency swap line with Argentina’s central bank — essentially exchanging stable U.S. dollars with volatile pesos.

The move comes amid liquidity concerns in Argentina that threatened stability for the country as it faces key midterm elections. There are equal parts economic and political stakes with the venture, which marks the first U.S. intervention of this nature since rescuing Mexico in 1995.

Jeff Cox

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Amazon fires employee who was suspended for protesting company’s work with Israel

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Amazon fires employee who was suspended for protesting company's work with Israel

A woman cleans the store window of the Amazon house after activists sprayed paint on its logo during a protest on the opening day of the 55th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 20, 2025.

Yves Herman | Reuters

Amazon fired a Palestinian engineer who was suspended last month after he protested the company’s work with the Israeli government.

Ahmed Shahrour, who worked as a software engineer in Amazon’s Whole Foods business in Seattle, received an email on Monday informing him of his termination. When he was suspended in September, Amazon said the decision was the result of messages Shahrour posted on Slack criticizing the company’s ties to Israel.

Amazon said its investigation found Shahrour had violated the company’s standards of conduct, written communication policy and acceptable use policy, alleging that he “misused company resources, including by posting numerous non-work-related messages pertaining to the Israel-Palestine conflict.”

“In the next 24hrs you will receive an email with detailed information about your termination, including information about your benefits and final pay,” an Amazon human resources employee wrote in a message to Shahrour that was obtained by CNBC. “We appreciate the contributions you’ve made during your time with Amazon and wish you the best in your future endeavors.”

An employee group associated with Shahrour put out an afternoon press release saying that he was fired after a five-week suspension “for protesting Amazon’s $1.2 billion contract with the Israeli government and military, known as Project Nimbus, which he states constitutes collaboration in the ongoing genocide in Gaza.”

Shahrour had urged the company to drop the contract that involves Amazon providing the Israeli government with artificial intelligence tools, data centers and other infrastructure. He also protested and handed out flyers at Amazon’s downtown Seattle headquarters.

In a statement to CNBC, Shahrour said his firing is “a blatant act of retaliation designed to silence dissent from Palestinian voices within Amazon and shield Amazon’s collaboration in the genocide from internal scrutiny.”

President Trump addresses Israel's Knesset as Hamas releases hostages held in Gaza

Amazon spokesperson Brad Glasser told CNBC in a statement that the company doesn’t tolerate “discrimination, harassment or threatening behavior or language of any kind in our workplace.”

“When any conduct of that nature is reported, we investigate it and take appropriate action based on our findings,” Glasser said.

Shahrour’s termination comes on the same day that Palestinian militant group Hamas released the first seven surviving Israeli hostages, marking the first stage of a ceasefire deal brokered with the help of U.S. President Donald Trump. As part of the agreement, Israel was also scheduled to free nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees and prisoners later in the day.

The war started just over two years ago, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing roughly 1,200 people and taking hundreds of hostages. Israel followed with a sustained assault that killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, including thousands of civilians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Across the tech industry, workers have become more outspoken in their criticism of business dealings with the Israeli military.

On Thursday, a Microsoft engineer resigned after 13 years at the software giant, claiming the company continues to sell cloud services to the Israeli military and that executives won’t discuss the war in Gaza. Scott Sutfin-Glowski, a principal software engineer, informed colleagues in a letter that, “I can no longer accept enabling what may be the worst atrocities of our time.”

In the letter, he referred to a February Associated Press article that said Israel’s military had at least 635 Microsoft subscriptions, and he claimed the vast majority of them remain active.

Microsoft fired two employees in August who participated in a protest inside the company’s headquarters. In April 2024, Google terminated 28 employees after a series of protests against labor conditions and its involvement in Project Nimbus.

Amazon hasn’t acknowledged the Nimbus contract beyond stating that it provides technology to customers “wherever they are located.” Google has previously said it provides generally available cloud computing services to the Israeli government that aren’t “directed at highly sensitive, classified or military workloads.” Microsoft said in August that most of its work with Israel Defense Forces involves cybersecurity for the country, and that the company intends to provide technology in an ethical way.

— CNBC’s Jordan Novet contributed to this report.

WATCH: Is a ceasefire in Gaza sustainable?

Is a ceasefire in Gaza sustainable? Israel ambassador to UAE talks regional peace

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Broadcom CEO says generative AI will become a much larger part of global GDP

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Broadcom CEO says generative AI will become a much larger part of global GDP

The main competitor we have is merchant silicon, says Broadcom CEO Hock Tan

Broadcom CEO Hock Tan told CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Monday that artificial intelligence could become a larger part of global GDP as the technology spreads across industries.

Tan said the current global GDP sits around $110 trillion, with 30% of that figure “valued from industries related to knowledge-based, technology-intensive.”

“And you put in generative AI, you create intelligence in a lot of other aspects of society,” Tan continued. “That 30% say will grow to 40% of all GDP. That’s $10 trillion a year.”

If AI grows and becomes responsible for a larger piece of global GDP as Tan predicts, it would be a boon to the nascent tech sector and all the industries it relies on. Broadcom makes chips and networking equipment and has been a huge beneficiary of the AI boom as hyperscalers buy up its products. The stock is currently up 53.86%.

Broadcom and OpenAI announced their official partnership on Monday, saying they would jointly build and deploy 10 gigawatts of custom artificial intelligence accelerators. The move is part of a broader effort to scale AI across the industry. Broadcom shares surged in response to the news, up 9.88% by market close.

Broadcom and OpenAI’s deal is the latest in a slew of pricey partnerships among key Big Tech players related to AI.

Tan said OpenAI is “one of those few players in the forefront of creating foundation models,” and noted that even as a private company, the ChatGPT maker is worth about $500 billion. According to Tan, Broadcom’s “hard-nosed” approach to business doesn’t keep the company from looking several years in the future “at this phenomenon, this wave called generative AI.”

Broadcom is tight-lipped about its customers, but said earlier this year it was developing new AI chips with three large cloud customers. Management announced last month it had secured $10 billion in chip orders from a fourth unnamed client.

Tan told Cramer that Broadcom is working closely with “about seven players,” four of which he defined as “real customers,” or ones “who have given us production purchase orders at scale.”

“We feel very good about it,” Tan said of Broadcom’s partnerships. “Because each of these guys need a lot of compute capacity for them to basically play in this game and eventually win this game of creating the best foundation model in the world.”

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