Editor-in-Chief at Coinpaper, scaling data-driven editorial ops, SEO-led discovery, and audience-first storytelling across crypto, AI, and fintech. Don’t miss out and join our newsletter to get the latest, well-curated news from the crypto world! Analysts further proposed that administrators may have voluntarily left the market, fearing increased scrutiny from regulators.
How To Protect Yourself While On The Darknet Using Abacus?
The Abacus Market links to the new dark web marketplace sections and took over much of the vacuum left by the AlphaBay takedown. Security researchers have been monitoring forums within the cybercriminal underworld to investigate the leading markets operating in 2026. Some were taken down by law enforcement, others just vanished overnight with users’ money. As of 2020, nearly 57% of the dark web was estimated to contain illegal content, including violence and extremist platforms.
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Despite these claims, deposits to the marketplace began to fall, from around $230,000 a day in June to just $13,000 a day by July. No, black market websites operate illegally and pose high risks of scams, fraud, and law enforcement action. They use pseudonymous wallets, privacy coins (like Monero), mixers, chain-hopping, and non-KYC platforms to obscure transaction trails. Here are some of the now-defunct dark web markets that were notorious for cybercrime. WeTheNorth is a Canadian market established in 2021 that also serves international users. With over 40,000 product listings and valued at around $15 million, it’s a sprawling marketplace and go-to destination for drugs, counterfeit items and cybercrime tools.
Many users migrated to Abacus, causing the site’s monthly sales volume to jump to $6.3 million. According to analysts at TRM Labs, users began reporting payment delays, and subsequently, the site's administrators stopped communicating with them. Our affiliate relationships help us maintain an open-access platform, but they do not influence our editorial decisions.
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Signs of instability began to surface in late June 2025 as users reported difficulties withdrawing funds from their accounts. Over the following years, it attracted a massive following, becoming the largest darknet platform of its kind by 2024. And beware—while many explore out of curiosity or for research purposes, it’s important to remember that engaging with these platforms, even as an observer, can lead to serious legal and ethical consequences. Vortex is one of those markets that aims to stand out by being user-friendly, secure, and anonymous.
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With over 45,000 daily active users and more than 1,200 verified vendors, Abacus Market has grown to become the largest and most trusted marketplace of its kind. While some of these markets were shuttered by law enforcement agencies – some took the easy way out with exit scams. Abacus Market, the largest Bitcoin BTC-driven darknet marketplace in the Western world, has abruptly gone dark, bringing about suspicions of a major exit scam.
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While the US market is best characterized by its diverse product offerings, other countries offer regional specialties. For example, in the screenshot below, an American vendor lists protonitazene powder, and advertises its uses as a counterfeit for oxycodone, also referred to as “M30” (i.e. 30 mg). Although CEXs remain a stable destination in the DNM ecosystem, the pattern of sending funds to them shifted in 2024, as illustrated in the chart below. Historically, DNMs have usually cashed out their funds at centralized exchanges (CEXs). Nemesis Market also saw its demise in March, when German authorities seized its infrastructure, along with $102,000 in cryptocurrency. The FBI tied Taiwanese national Rui-Siang Lin, Incognito’s operator, to the DNM’s website by tracing crypto transfers to an exchange account in Lin’s name.
TRM Labs estimates that total transactions, including Monero, may have reached $300–$400 million. This explanation failed to calm the market. Abacus had recently grown in dominance after Europol’s June takedown of Archetyp Market, handling $6.3 million in monthly sales and controlling over 70% of Bitcoin-enabled Western darknet trade.
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In an onchain message, the exploiter responded that the funds will be returned. Following the exploit, GMX halted V1 trading, and minting on both Arbitrum and Avalanche, and offered the 10% bounty, pledging not to pursue legal action if the remaining funds were returned within 48 hours. The hacker who stole more than $40 million from decentralized exchange GMX earlier this week started returning the stolen funds, after appearing to accept GMX's $5 million white-hat bug bounty. Truglia's attorneys argue he surrendered accessible assets, including funds in a Wells Fargo account, and claim that resentencing violates his constitutional protections, including due process and double jeopardy. Truglia had earlier pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud after helping orchestrate a SIM-swapping scheme that gave him unauthorized access to a victim's crypto wallet.
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- For comprehensive security guidance, read the Darknet Bible before making any transactions.
- Past administrators of darknet markets who have conducted exit scams have not been prosecuted, and this approach is appealing to operators.
- For example, in the screenshot below, an American vendor lists protonitazene powder, and advertises its uses as a counterfeit for oxycodone, also referred to as “M30” (i.e. 30 mg).
- This review of Abacus Market will examine the variety of products, security measures, and features that the market offers.
- Still, darknet community members and users close to the Abacus team largely believe the collapse points to an exit scam, not a police seizure.
Abacus Market, a well-known darknet marketplace dealing in drugs, counterfeit documents, and digital goods, has abruptly disappeared from the dark web. Multisig escrow provides additional security by requiring multiple confirmations before funds release on Abacus market. Abacus Market is a well-known darknet marketplace operating as a hidden Tor Abacus onion service. Abacus Market is a leading darknet marketplace operating on the Onion Tor network since late 2020.
Today’s cybercriminals spread their activities across multiple platforms, making them harder to track and shut down. It is believed that Abacus’s operators likely chose to exit with user funds, possibly to avoid Archetyp’s fate. Although the site’s administrator, Vito, attributed the problems to DDoS attacks and a spike in traffic, TRM Labs observed that this pattern closely resembles known exit scams. Blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs reported that both Abacus Market’s dark web and clearnet infrastructure are now inaccessible, a likely exit scam by its operators.
And it worked.This market focuses on stolen credit cards, personal identifiable information (PII), and SSH access credentials. If someone wants direct access to a server, a cPanel, or an email, this is the place to go.The market is in English and features a massive catalog with over 800,000 illegal products. Everything is conducted within the Tor network, with payments made in Bitcoin or Monero, as is customary.One of its most curious features is its daily raffle system, funded by the market's commissions. With constant updates and new providers entering the market, Exodus is positioning itself as a major player in the digital underworld of credential theft. In addition, they have a referral and reward system, so if you bring in more users, you get a share.
The market even experienced its best month in June, with brokered sales peaking at $6.3 million, indicating robust activity just before its demise. This rise to prominence made it a significant player in the illicit online economy, attracting a large user base that entrusted it with substantial cryptocurrency deposits. For maximum security, consider using a dedicated device with a clean operating system installation. The development team has announced a major update scheduled for July that will introduce decentralized arbitration and improved vendor tools. All users are advised to update their PGP keys immediately.
Launched in 2021 as Alphabet Market, Abacus rose to dominance after competing markets were dismantled by law enforcement. Blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs said the sudden shutdown shows signs of either an exit scam or a covert law enforcement takedown, though no seizure notice has been issued. Abacus’s disappearance follows similar exits by markets like Monopoly Market, and underscores the precarious nature of trust in anonymous online drug bazaars. Users have been left without access to their funds or orders, while security researchers and darknet watchdogs raise red flags over the timing and behavior of the shutdown. With no warning or explanation, the platform has stopped responding, sparking widespread suspicion that its operators have orchestrated an exit scam.
