Feds Seize $34 Million in Crypto From Unidentified Florida Man

On April 4, 2022, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office of South Florida revealed that law enforcement seized $34 million in crypto assets from an unidentified man living in Florida. According to the DOJ, the man allegedly conducted more than 100,000 sales on darknet markets, selling online account information tied to … Read more

Deep Web Confusion: Ostensible Alphabay Admin ‘Desnake’ Claims the Darknet Market Has Returned

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 various jurisdictions, infiltrated Alphabay alongside the DNM … Read more

Opioid Premiums, Jobseekers and Vaccines: Covid-19 Fuels Darknet Markets in a Different Way

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has found its way onto the deep web and during the last few months, researchers have found a great number of individuals turning to darknet markets (DNMs) for employment. The organization Check Point Research has recorded a rising trend of people looking for jobs on hacking forums and DNMs. … Read more

Dutch Police Seize $33 Million in Bitcoin from Couple Accused of Money Laundering

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 was used on the deep web. Dutch officials recently … Read more

142 Million Guests: Hackers Attempt to Sell MGM Grand Data Dump for Cryptocurrency

Last year the giant resort firm MGM Grand was hacked and the cybercriminals ostensibly obtained a massive dump of names, addresses, phone numbers, and dates of birth. Now according to vendors on the deep web, hackers have been trying to sell the data dump for monero or bitcoin. The hackers claim the dump has over … Read more

Bitcoin Use on Darknet Markets Jumps 65% in First Quarter

Bitcoin transactions on darknet markets jumped 65% in value during the first quarter, according to research by a blockchain analytics firm. The amount of bitcoin sent from darknet entities to mixers also grew rapidly as exchanges with verification requirements became less popular among darknet users. Growing Bitcoin Use on Darknet Markets Crystal Blockchain’s analytics team … Read more

Darknet Vendors Work Overtime as Police Halt Drug Arrests

The coronavirus is having a strange effect on the war on drugs. Narcotics activities that were deemed serious crimes only a week ago have been dropped by U.S. law enforcement, who have greater concerns now that cities are under effective lockdown. Meanwhile, darknet vendors are doing their best to match increased demand for mail order … Read more

Darknet Markets Keep Shipping as Shoppers Shun the Streets

These are strange times for crypto. While it’s blood in the markets, it’s business as usual on the darknet, where marketplaces are seeing a steady inflow of cryptocurrency. They’re also seeing an inflow of new users as the repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic make online commerce the safest way to shop. Also read: Darknet Markets … Read more