While not based in Australia, Abacus Market gained strong traction with local darknet users by embracing cultural references, supporting Australian vendors, and featuring a dedicated moderator from the region. These efforts helped it become one of the most active platforms among Australian users. Today, Abacus Market continues to innovate with over 1,200 verified vendors and 45,000+ daily users.
Active Listings
All sellers undergo strict verification to ensure quality products and reliable service. Military-grade encryption, mandatory PGP 2FA, and auto-logout features protect your account from unauthorized access. Abacus offered a wide range of illicit drugs, including stimulants, psychedelics, unlicensed pharmaceuticals, and operated a central deposit wallet that supported both Bitcoin (BTC) and Monero (XMR). Users began fleeing in droves despite the assurance, and daily deposits dropped in the final weeks, down from an average daily deposit of $230,000 in most of June to just $13,000 daily from June 28 to July 10. This figure dropped quickly in early July, to just $13,000 a day across 100 deposits, as user trust was quickly affected by withdrawal delays. Strong presence on Dread forum with responsive support and active discussions.
Top Dark Web Markets
In some cases, such as Nemesis Market’s exit, official seizure notices have appeared months after a DNM has gone offline. Exit scams occur when the operator of a marketplace decides to vanish with the money they hold in escrow for various transactions between platform users. Abacus Market was launched in September 2021 under the name “Alphabet Market” but rebranded shortly afterward as Abacus. Over the following years, it attracted a massive following, becoming the largest darknet platform of its kind by 2024. It offered a broad catalog of illicit goods, including narcotics, counterfeit documents, cybercrime tools, unlicensed pharmaceuticals, and infrastructure-as-a-service accounts. Abacus provides an intriguing glimpse into the darknet, offering a wide array of services and products not found on the mainstream internet.
Torzon Market
- TRM Labs assesses the event was likely an exit scam, though a covert law enforcement seizure cannot be ruled out.
- According to blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs, the sudden disappearance aligns with common patterns seen in exit scams, where marketplace operators disappear with funds held in escrow.
- H25.io is a premium directory in the Tor network, offering access to a diverse and meticulously curated list of onion sites.
- In Arizona, lawmakers passed a Bitcoin reserve law, enabling seized crypto to be held as public reserves.
- SEC fillings and other documents provided by Quartr.© 2025 TradingView, Inc.
Only 23% of vendor applications are approved, resulting in the most trustworthy vendor base in the darknet ecosystem. The platform is considering adding support for Zcash (ZEC) in Q as part of its privacy-focused cryptocurrency initiative. The development team has announced a major update scheduled for July that will introduce decentralized arbitration and improved vendor tools.
Our security team actively monitors for vulnerabilities and implements patches immediately. Our dedicated support team is available around the clock to assist with any issues, with average response times under 2 hours for critical matters. Apart from the dark web markets that are operating online today, some raided platforms influenced many markets. Some dark web marketplaces even host content that’s not just illegal but extremely harmful, so it’s really important to understand the risks before diving in. Some are looking for illegal stuff they can’t buy elsewhere, like drugs or counterfeit documents. In 2023, the dark web attracted an average of 2.7 million daily users, with Germany now leading as the country with the highest number of Tor users, surpassing the United States for the first time in years.
Key Features
The platform supports Bitcoin and Monero simulations, with unique temporary addresses for each deposit, simulating secure crypto routing. Given the explosive growth of these markets, organizations must prioritize proactive threat monitoring. Axis Intelligence provides dark web surveillance solutions that help businesses identify leaked credentials, fraud attempts, and malware risks before they escalate. Launched in 2020, Cypher Marketplace sells fraudulent documents, stolen credit cards, fake IDs, and malware.
Common Scams On Dark Web Marketplaces
These include drugs, fraud, hacking, counterfeits, and defense/intelligence, with several subcategories under each. The most frequented subcategories are cannabis, stimulants, and opiates, but the ‘Other’ section in fraud is extensive, featuring typical how-to guides. The market also hosts unique offerings like “hacker for hire” services, malware, and data dumps, maintaining a “wild west” market atmosphere with an “anything goes” philosophy. A Canadian market established in 2021, WTN offers over 9,000 products, including narcotics, fake goods, and digital services. It operates in both French and English and has built a reputation for ease-of-use.
Harrods Suffers New Data Breach Exposing 430,000 Customer Records
One of the most common is the exit scam, where a marketplace suddenly disappears and takes everyone’s money with it. Others are looking for stolen data, hacking services, or even banned books and political content. In 2019, there were approximately 8,400 active sites on the dark web, selling thousands of products and services daily. Discover the differences between Bitcoin and Monero for dark web transactions. As soon as you place an order, the funds are transferred from your built-in wallet to the platform’s escrow account. After the transaction is complete, the vendor receives a notification, prepares the package, and ships it.
During DDoS attacks, check Dread for updated mirrors or announcements about service interruptions. BitDegree aims to uncover, simplify & share Web3 & cryptocurrency education with the masses. Join millions, easily discover and understand cryptocurrencies, price charts, top crypto exchanges & wallets in one place. Emir Abyazov, a seasoned crypto journalist, is celebrated for his insightful and balanced coverage of blockchain technology, cryptocurrencies, and the evolving digital economy.
Market Security Features
2FA via PGP, mirror verifications, mnemonic backups, stealth display modes, and escrow policies create a robust multi-layered protection architecture. The Cardano rally has quickly become one of the hottest narratives in the crypto market this August. Brandon is a crypto strategist with a sharp focus on DeFi and emerging blockchain technologies. With a background in financial journalism and over six years in the industry, he’s known for turning complex crypto trends into clear, actionable insights. He works closely with startups to drive adoption and regularly publishes deep-dives on tokenomics, projects, and macro-level shifts in Web3. Investigators are currently monitoring secondary wallet movements, but so far, the funds remain unrecovered.
The Darknet Ecosystem Remains Highly Adaptive
Abacus Market stands out with its advanced security features, including DDoS protection and a stable server network. Recent upgrades in 2025 have enhanced user experience, with faster load times and improved encryption. Arresting vendors often has a greater disruptive impact than taking down DNMs. When a marketplace is shut down, vendors can typically migrate to other platforms. But when a vendor is arrested, their activity is disrupted across every DNM they operate on.
Abacus combines the security of newer markets like Archetyp with the user-friendly approach of classic markets like AlphaBay. However, the administrator of Dread, a darknet forum in contact with Abacus staff, has said they doubt police are behind this disappearance. According to a July 14 report by TRM Labs, the site, its backup portal, and all related servers have been taken down. Investigators noted that the operators likely shut everything down and left with user funds. However, the site’s administrator, known as Dread and reportedly in contact with the Abacus team, expressed doubts that authorities were involved in the shutdown. Analysts further proposed that administrators may have voluntarily left the market, fearing increased scrutiny from regulators.
