While DNM and fraud shop revenues declined in 2024 following years of concerted international law enforcement efforts, these platforms have managed to sustain their operations by adopting new tactics. Drughub’s 10% pharma share highlights a 30% rise in niche markets since 2023. Specialized platforms like Vice City (80% drugs) thrive, offering depth over breadth, with 15% of 2025 trades in niche categories vs. 5% in 2022. In early July, Abacus Market, the largest Bitcoin‑based Western darknet marketplace, abruptly went offline, triggering widespread suspicions of an exit scam.
Russian Market
Other markets like Aurora, DeepMart, and WhiteHouse were also on track to reach the revenue of a midsize company if given a full year to earn. Further market diversification occurred in 2015, as did further developments around escrow and decentralization. TRM Labs observed that deposits on the site fell sharply in early July—from $230,000 per day across 1,400 transactions to just $13,000 per day spread over 100 transactions. Consequences can vary based on jurisdiction, but potential outcomes include fines, arrest, and legal charges related to the purchase or sale of illegal items.
- Deep Web stats from 2023’s third quarter reveal that Iranians made up 24.44% of Tor’s bridge users, while people from the United States accounted for 15.08%.
- State-sponsored threat actors are cybercriminal groups supported or directly managed by government agencies on the darkweb market.
- A student at the University of Edinburgh, Clarke aimed to create a system of data storage and retrieval that would be decentralized, thus allowing for anonymous file sharing and communication.
- Brian Dumps, the biggest overall fraud shop for the year, also appears to have suffered a disruption as its revenue fell almost to zero in October, though it’s unclear exactly why.
- Vendors like “ShadowChem” and “CyberForge” maintain 99% ratings, offering reliable goods with 95% shipping success.
Stablecoins counter BTC’s volatility (30% price swings in 2024), appealing to 25% of traders seeking stability in crypto trading platforms. Torrez’s 200+ vendor boost in 2025 reflects a 20% growth trend across top 10 markets since 2024, totaling 11,000+ vendors. This drives competition, cutting prices 5–10% and increasing listings by 15%, enhancing variety.
- Freshtools is a unique marketplace in that it does not only provide the stolen data, but it allows criminals to purchase MaaS which can cause further damage to the victims.
- Torrez Market earns its top-tier status at #8 with the largest vendor network in our rankings—1,500+ strong—and a robust $6 million monthly trade volume, securing a 9% market share.
- But for the thousands of users left in the dark—many now locked out of their cryptocurrency funds—the damage appears to be done.
- As for drug markets serving Western customers, ASAP Market held a 25.0% share, followed by Mega and Incognito.
- As a result, law enforcement has adopted an intelligence-led enforcement strategy incorporating DNM takedowns into longer-term investigations rather than treating them as end goals.
- Sellers often need to pay a deposit to prove they’re serious, and they build their reputation through positive reviews.
The Marketplace As An Arsenal
However, it’s worth noting the website does not contain multisim like other marketplaces do and don’t force vendor PGP, but there is 2FA to help you stay protected while buying online. Abacus becoming the largest Bitcoin-enabled Western DNM may have inadvertently led to its closure. Marketplaces that reach the top of the ecosystem, in terms of volume, user base, listings, and reputation, often become priority targets for law enforcement. Archetyp’s recent takedown followed this pattern and likely influenced Abacus’s trajectory. Abacus Market launched in September 2021 as Alphabet Market, before rebranding in November 2021.
Darknet Markets Generate Millions In Revenue Selling Stolen Personal Data
Without vendors, darknet marketplaces cannot operate or generate profits, making them a more strategic enforcement target. Administrators and sellers on dark web marketplaces had a better 2023 than the previous year, pulling in an estimated $1.7bn in cryptocurrency-based revenues, according to new Chainalysis data. Incognito’s all about keeping things easy and safe—perfect if you’re avoiding street buys. What sets them apart is their support—real-time chat that’s saved my bacon a couple times when a deal went sideways. They’re planning some vendor recommendation thing for 2025, which could shake things up for new sellers—kinda ties into the community vibe. The site’s clean, escrow works like a charm, and the community’s buzzing about how reliable it is—definitely worth a look.
International Law Enforcement Cooperation
Response times average 12 hours, with a 94% shipping reliability rate, supported by a 95% escrow success rate—disputes are resolved in 36 hours for 90% of cases. Vendors like “DarkMedic” and “GhostCode” excel with 98% ratings, benefiting from Incognito’s mandatory 2FA, which keeps scams below 1%. Its privacy-first approach attracts quality vendors, though its smaller size limits scale compared to Torrez. Tor2door’s 1,100+ vendors support its 25,000+ listings, rated 4.5/5 across 35,000+ reviews, with drugs (60%), digital goods (25%), and fraud tools (10%) as key categories.
The Structure Of Active Darknet Markets
In contrast, “right” sources tend to emphasize law enforcement success and U.S.-European cooperation, highlighting the logistics of the operation rather than the social aftermath. The dark web is a collection of sites that are not indexed by search engines and can only be viewed with specialized web browsers designed to provide privacy and anonymity. Many sites specialize in selling illegal goods that are not readily available on the public internet. According to blockchain analysis firm TRM Labs, the operators probably opted to preserve themselves rather than keep making profits, particularly after the recent law enforcement successes.
Top 10 Dark Web Markets
The darknet marketplace was a hub where illegal drugs such as stimulants, psychedelics, and unlicensed pharmaceuticals were sold to clients all over the world using cryptocurrencies. ASAP drives 25,000+ listings and $4M monthly across BTC, XMR, LTC, and USDT, holding a 7% share. With 14,000+ users and 1,000+ vendors, it’s a versatile crypto commerce powerhouse. The dark web, a subset of the deep web, operates on encrypted networks like Tor, requiring specialized tools for access. Unlike the surface web, it’s not indexed by traditional search engines, making it a haven for anonymity seekers. In 2025, it hosts over 2.5 million active users daily, with markets facilitating billions in cryptocurrency transactions annually.
In late June 2025, Abacus users reported withdrawal issues and decreasing trust in the platform. Daily deposits dropped by over 90% in the final weeks, despite reassurances from its administrator. This behavior was consistent with known exit scam patterns seen across other darknet markets. Cases like Nemesis Market and Monopoly Market indicate that law enforcement agencies now prefer to take down DNMs without announcing it publicly — and potentially alerting vendors under investigation. This allows them to compile intelligence and make arrests at optimal moments.
Torrez Market earns its top-tier status at #8 with the largest vendor network in our rankings—1,500+ strong—and a robust $6 million monthly trade volume, securing a 9% market share. Its 30,000+ listings cover drugs (65%), digital goods (20%), fraud tools (10%), and counterfeit items (5%), supported by 16,000+ active users who value its diversity and efficiency. Torrez’s escrow system achieves a 95% success rate, resolving 90% of disputes within 36 hours, while its onion routing maintains a 94% uptime, with rare vendor-related dips.
They add new batches of stolen data every other week, and there’s even a bidding system where buyers can place offers on new data batches as soon as they become available. Just as there are new entrants, the dark web has its veteran markets too, and Brian’s Club is one such market. Brian’s Club is one of the best place to buy stolen credit card info, including CVVs, dumps, and even full account packages without revealing your identity.
Largest Western Darknet Marketplace Abacus Market Vanishes With Millions In Suspected Exit Scam
Today’s markets reflect a decade of evolution, balancing user demand with operational security against an ever-present cat-and-mouse game with authorities. Revenues for the fraud shops on the right side of the chart declined, suggesting their dependence on UAPS for payment infrastructure. On Abacus Market, the US, Canada, Germany, Australia, and the UK have the highest number of listings. In the US, there’s a large diversity in the types of products sold, including counterfeit pills. 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). Below is a screenshot from the Abacus Market website showing the range of items it sells, with drugs and chemicals representing the overwhelming majority of its products.
