By InnoSec August 27, 2025
One might think online scams just appear out of thin air, but in reality, many of them start brewing in the darkest corners of the internet. On hidden websites and forums known collectively as “The Dark Web”, hackers and cybercriminals trade stolen data, sell scam templates, and even share tips on how to trick people more effectively. Cyberthreat intelligence (CTI) experts spend time monitoring these spaces to spot threats before they reach email inboxes or social media feeds.
One of the key ways CTI helps is by identifying “scam trends” in their earliest stages. If threat analysts notice that criminals are selling new phishing kits, or tools that make fake emails look more real, they can alert companies and security teams before those scams are launched at large scale. It’s like being informed about a potential storm and preparing for it before the clouds even roll in.
These early warnings also allow email providers, banks, and social platforms to adjust their security filters and protect users. When a scam email gets flagged as spam or a suspicious login attempt is blocked, it’s often thanks to the work of threat intelligence teams tracking cybercriminals in real time. Their insights help create better defenses, so that fewer people fall for new tricks.
In the end, although one may never visit the dark web or understand the full technical details behind cyberthreats, the work happening there absolutely affects everyone. From scam texts to fake investment offers, most online fraud has roots in places where the average internet user will never see. Thanks to CTI, though, someone is watching and working to stop these threats before they hit our computer screens.