An exit scam is quite common in small marketplaces with no reputation or a bad reputation. Basically, they won’t just offer a playground for providers and customers, but they also offer an extra service, such as an escrow service. The operation led to the seizure of cryptocurrency worth over $8.77 million from the arrested individuals.
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Bottom line, while Bohemia is often referred to as shutdown, all the evidence leads to an exit scam. There are no official reports regarding the official closure by the authorities. Moreover, the entire industry was affected not just the ones directly involved. To use social login you have to agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website.
Set up in 2021, the markets primarily sold drugs, with an emphasis on cannabis products, but also offered “a small number of advertisements for exploits and malware,” according to the dark web intelligence firm Searchlight Cyber. One suspected admin of the marketplace was arrested in June in the Netherlands. He allegedly had a lot of data and bitcoin in his possession, but more than 8 million euros in virtual currency was seized during the arrest of the suspects. Vendor bonds are available to businesses of all sizes in Bohemia, not just those with a long history of operation. However, those vendors who have been in the business for a long time and can prove this do not have to pay this bond. Additionally, Bohemia has grown to be one of the most popular darknet markets.
Payments can be made via escrow or by completing the transaction earlier than scheduled using the early finalization feature. As for what goods they offer, well, they have Fentanyl and Covid vaccines in stock. Bohemia is also active on Dread and other darknet forums, and it appears that they pay attention to what their customers say about them.
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The investigation revealed that many sellers on Bohemia were based in the Netherlands, and it was discovered that at least 14,000 transactions had been processed from the country, amounting to over €1.7 million in value. An escrow service means the marketplace management keeps the money until the product or service is delivered. This kind of service offers some extra peace of mind for the actual customers, who are buying something from someone they don’t know in an unregulated environment.
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The fall of Bohemia and Cannabia is a testament to what can be achieved through determination and collaboration, but the fight against dark web crime is far from over. Until the owners passed away out of nowhere, all the evidence suggests an exit scam. The Bohemia market had a few known managers, without disclosing their real names, but nicknames only.
- In a significant blow to the darknet ecosystem, an international law enforcement operation has resulted in the arrest of two out of three administrators of the notorious darknet marketplaces Bohemia and Cannabia.
- Police expect this figure to rise and have already arrested several Dutch dealers in June.
- Bohemia Market offers vendors exclusive features that can enhance their selling potential with a simple click of a button.
- If an order does not meet the customer’s expectations or is not delivered on time, it can be challenged.
- The shutdown of Bohemia and Cannabia comes amid a broader wave of law enforcement action targeting dark web markets.
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This substantial sum underscores the lucrative nature of darknet marketplace operations and the financial incentives driving cybercriminals. Dutch authorities have successfully dismantled Bohemia/Cannabis, the world’s largest and longest-running dark web marketplace. This is a well-kept secret, as it is with the majority of dark web marketplaces.
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The seizure of Bohemia and Cannabia’s infrastructure in the Netherlands has provided law enforcement with valuable intelligence. Many marketplace participants have already been identified and arrested, with authorities anticipating further arrests as they analyze newly acquired evidence from the captured infrastructure. They promised compensation and the discontinuation of Bitcoin in favor of compensation in Monero. However, users raised extensive questions and doubts under the topic, questioning how long the compensation action would take. The market went offline at the end of last year when, according to police, the administrators carried out an “exit scam,” stealing users’ money and divvying it up among themselves.
The platform facilitated roughly 67,000 transactions per month, and in September 2023 alone, its turnover was estimated at a staggering €12 million (approx ₹99.6 crore). Bohemia, in particular, attracted significant attention from law enforcement due to its vast scale. At its peak, the platform reportedly hosted an estimated 82,000 advertisements daily, with approximately 67,000 transactions occurring each month. In September 2023 alone, Bohemia’s turnover reached a staggering €12 million, making it one of the most profitable illegal markets on the dark web. The police determined that the sites carried out approximately 67,000 transactions per month, with a record business volume of 12 million euros reached in September 2023.
It’s security features alongside beautiful user interface makes Bohemia a one of a kind dark web market. In November 2023 one of the Bohemia administrators posted on the dark web forum Dread to explain this disruption, claiming it was due to the actions of a rogue developer. Many former market users and vendors remained suspicious and wary of returning to the market.
The shipping method, cryptocurrency (Bitcoin or Monero), and quantity can all be selected (1 or more). Bohemia has the resources to handle orders coming in from a variety of sources at the same time, but starting with just one is best. If at any point, you want to change your account settings, this is where you’ll be able to do it.
- There aren’t many dark web marketplaces that can compete with the features they provide.
- Indeed, the purpose of the post is clearly to win back customers to the market, as well as the administrators outlining their “plan moving forward”.
- Someone claiming to be a vendor on Bohemia vows to cut their losses and leave the marketplace after not receiving the funds promised by the administrators or a response from “support”.
- Initially, speculation suggested that internal conflicts among developers or concerns about law enforcement attention led to an exit scam, where administrators absconded with users’ funds.
Scam Markets
An international law enforcement operation led to the arrest of one of the three administrators of the dual dark web market ‘Bohemia/Cannabia,’ known for hosting ads for drug sales and distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. The Dutch authorities have taken down the Bohemia and Cannabia dark web market, which was known for selling all sorts of illegal products, including drugs, DDoS attacks and many other cyber-related items. Bohemia Market is not just a place where you can buy or sell consignments; It is a robust ecosystem that provides users with a secure environment for anonymous services.
Reach out to members of the darknet community and improve your research thru these forums. Police expect this figure to rise and have already arrested several Dutch dealers in June. The hackers, whose identities have not been officially disclosed, were previously sanctioned by the European Council.
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The disruption started when one of Bohemia’s developers allegedly went rogue, causing service disruptions and an exit scam. One of the administrators described it as a “shameful and disgruntled set of events” that led to the market’s closure. Initially, speculation suggested that internal conflicts among developers or concerns about law enforcement attention led to an exit scam, where administrators absconded with users’ funds. However, authorities now confirm that they successfully tracked these funds, leading to the identification and arrest of the administrators. On June 27, 2024, Dutch authorities apprehended one of the administrators at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.
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However, the market did eventually re-emerge and in late November its administrators provided their account of why “things have been a little bumpy recently”. Some sellers on Bohemia advertised they were shipping the products from the Netherlands. The initial police investigation revealed 14,000 transactions from the Netherlands took place with a value of at least 1.7 million euros. The bad news is most people involved in transactions at the time of the exit scam lost their money. Then, as the market stopped working, there were rumors about it being shut down by the authorities.
