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DOJ Captures Alleged ‘Architect’ of Darknet Marketplace Incognito
21.5.2024
According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the operator of the darknet marketplace Incognito was apprehended at John F. Kennedy Airport on May 18. Law enforcement officials claim Rui-Siang Lin allegedly constructed the DNM and facilitated the sale of over $100 million worth of illegal drugs...
After Exit Scam, Incognito Darknet Market Operators Now Threaten User Data Leak in Extortion Twist
12.3.2024
Numerous accounts have recently revealed that shortly after the darknet market (DNM) Incognito apparently conducted an ‘exit scam,’ its operators have now informed their clients and merchants they are facing extortion. The team behind Incognito claims possession of crypto asset...
Dormant $144M in Bitcoin From Defunct Abraxas Darknet Market Moved After Years of Inactivity
23.10.2023
According to the onchain analyst Zachxbt, 4,800 bitcoins taken from the now-defunct darknet marketplace Abraxas were transferred to a bitcoin mixing service. Abraxas exit scammed in November 2015 after less than a year, and the bitcoins had remained untouched since then. $144M in Bitcoin from 2015...
Darknet Marketplace Tor2door Vanishes, Allegedly Swindling a ‘Massive Crypto Escrow Balance’
30.9.2023
Numerous reports have detailed that a darknet marketplace (DNM) by the name of Tor2door reportedly pulled off an exit scam, making off with a “massive crypto escrow balance.” Discontent began brewing among Tor2door users when the site vanished from the deep web on September 14, 2023,...
Alleged Admin of Darknet Marketplace Monopoly Market Extradited to US
29.6.2023
The suspected administrator of the Monopoly Market darknet marketplace has been extradited from Austria to face charges in the U.S. The man, a citizen of Serbia and Croatia who was arrested in Vienna last November, has been accused of facilitating $18 million in illegal drug transactions using...
Silk Road Hacker Sentenced to a Year in Prison for Wire Fraud
16.4.2023
On April 14, 2023, the Department of Justice (DOJ) for the Southern District of New York revealed that the hacker responsible for the Silk Road marketplace breach had been sentenced to a year in prison for wire fraud charges. James Zhong stole more than 50,000 bitcoin from the darknet marketplace...
Darknet Forum Dread to Relaunch After Month-Long Downtime Due to DDOS Attack
6.1.2023
According to web portal darkdot.com and anonymous journalist Darkdotfail, the popular darknet forum Dread has been down for a month. The well-known forum, which was a place for darknet market (DNM) patrons to discuss operations security, rate specific vendors, and talk about stealth delivery ideas...
4 Years After the 2017 Law Enforcement Takedown, Alphabay Is Once Again the King of Darknet Markets
4.11.2022
Following the demise of the largest darknet marketplace (DNM) in mid-July 2017, the underground market Alphabay returned in August 2021, and during the last year, Alphabay has managed to once again regain its position as the world’s top DNM. Furthermore, Alphabay relentlessly conducted...
Accused Bitfinex Bitcoin Money Launderer Granted Permission to ‘Engage in Legitimate Employment’
16.7.2022
On February 8, 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) arrested a couple that is accused of laundering 94,636 bitcoins stolen from Bitfinex in 2016. The DOJ alleges that the tech entrepreneur, Ilya Lichtenstein, and his wife Heather Morgan, conspired to launder billions of dollars worth...
Germany Shuts Down Hydra Market, Seizes Servers and Bitcoin
5.4.2022
Law enforcement agencies in Germany have targeted Hydra, a leading darknet market (DNM). As part of an operation conducted with U.S. support, the German police were able to establish control over the servers of the Russian-language platform in the country and take down its website. Investigators...
Silk Road 2 Admin Forfeits $667,000 in Bitcoin to British Law Enforcement
3.11.2021
According to reports, the founder of the now-defunct Silk Road 2 marketplace has forfeited more than half-billion dollars worth of bitcoin to British authorities. White’s Silk Road 2 admin handle was called “Cthulhu,” and he also dubbed himself as “DPR2.” Silk...
Deep Web Confusion: Ostensible Alphabay Admin ‘Desnake’ Claims the Darknet Market Has Returned
14.10.2021
In mid-July 2017, the largest darknet marketplace (DNM) Alphabay went dark and patrons didn’t know if the administrators were busted by law enforcement or if it was an exit scam. Not too long after the site went dark, law enforcement disclosed that an organized police task force, from...
World’s Largest Monero Accepting Darknet Market Reveals Retirement Plan — White House Admins Say DNM ‘Reached Its Goal’
2.10.2021
One of the largest darknet markets (DNM), White House, announced the market is retiring as the DNM’s administrators say the team has reached its goal. After revealing the retirement plan, White House admins explained that user registration and orders have been disabled. Darknet Market White...
Darknet Users Leverage a New Blockchain Analytics Tool That Scans for Ties to Criminal Activity
16.8.2021
According to the blockchain intelligence firm Elliptic, cybercriminals are leveraging cryptocurrency analytics to get ahead of law enforcement. Elliptic says a “blockchain analytics tool has been launched on the dark web” and the tool is called “Antinalysis.” Meet...
Darknet Update: Hydra Reigns, Monero Acceptance Climbs, Russian State Collusion Questioned
11.7.2021
At the end of 2020, darknet markets (DNM) set new records as marketplaces like White House and the Russian-language DNM Hydra led the pack. A report published on May 25, shows Hydra saw a 624% year-over-year growth rate in three years, and researchers estimate roughly 75% of illicit...
Televend’s Complex System of Telegram Drug Bots Swell as German Police Seize 9 Telegram Drug Channels
12.11.2020
During the last few months following the departure of the infamous Empire darknet market (DNM), a great number of DNM users have been flocking to alternative vendors. More recently, a new bot service on Telegram called Televend has been attracting tens of thousands of users and the service...
Dutch Police Seize $33 Million in Bitcoin from Couple Accused of Money Laundering
30.10.2020
Prosecutors from the Netherlands have seized 2,532 bitcoins worth $33 million after a couple was convicted of money laundering by the Rotterdam District Court. The man and his wife were sentenced to two years for illegal money transmission and the court claims the couple’s bitcoin stash...
A System of Robot Drug Dealers on Telegram Allows People to Buy Illegal Products for Bitcoin
13.10.2020
There’s a new avenue darknet market (DNM) customers have found that allows them to purchase illegal wares 24 hours a day via a robot drug dealer hosted on Telegram. The platform dubbed ‘Televend,’ is an automated software program that peddles illicit narcotics for people paying...
While Darknet Users Search for New Markets, Global Law Enforcement Reveals Mass Arrests
5.10.2020
During the last month since the fall of Empire Market, darknet market (DNM) patrons have been migrating to alternative markets. Meanwhile, global law enforcement recently arrested 179 individuals tied to DNMs and seized over $6.5 million in cryptocurrency and cash proceeds. It hasn’t been...
Hydra’s ‘Complex Drug Delivery System’ in Russia Overshadows Western Darknet Markets
16.9.2020
On September 14, the blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis reported on the infamous Russian darknet marketplace (DNM) known as Hydra and noted the DNM is Eastern Europe’s “sixth-largest service by volume in the region.” Moreover, the report also reveals that Hydra has created...