“Due to the influx of Alphabay refugees we are dealing with technical issues,” read a message on the site. AlphaBay operated as a hidden service on the “Tor” network, and utilized cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Monero and Ethereum in order to hide the locations of its underlying servers and the identities of its administrators, moderators, and users. Based on law enforcement’s investigation of AlphaBay, authorities believe the site was also used to launder hundreds of millions of dollars deriving from illegal transactions on the website.
Greetings And Welcome To Abacus Market!
First off, you’ll need the Tor Browser—think of it as your ticket in. It’s free, masks your IP, and bounces your connection around so no one’s peeking over your shoulder. I grabbed mine from the official site a while back after dodging a sketchy mirror that tried to sneak in some junk software. It locks your messages so only the right person can read them—super handy when you’re dealing with sensitive stuff on the dark web. Markets like Incognito even nudge you to use it for extra peace of mind.
AlphaBay Market’s Official Return
With 2FA and escrow, it feels safe enough, and it rarely goes offline. For a long period of time, most AlphaBay users speculated that the market’s admins pulled off an “exit scam,” a term used to describe when a Dark Web market shuts down and the owners steal all the cryptocurrency from escrow wallets. In July 2017, police in the US and Europe, including the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Agency, Europol and the Dutch National Police, partnered to take down the site.
History Of Dark Web Marketplaces
“Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, Ruth Mendonça, Inspector-in-Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Ivan J. Arvelo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York office of Homeland Security Investigations. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melody Wells and Ann Marie Ursini. Due to the normal AB being down recently I’ve been looking for other options (like most people). I then found the only AB sub on reddit and noticed the link which they provided in the sidebar seemed to work.
Greetings And Welcome To Abacus Market! Abacus Market Link & URL
The investigation into AlphaBay revealed that numerous vendors sold fentanyl and heroin, and there have been multiple overdose deaths across the country attributed to purchases on the site. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California filed a civil forfeiture complaint against Alexandre Cazes and his wife’s assets located throughout the world, including in Thailand, Cyprus, Lichtenstein, and Antigua & Barbuda. Cazes and his wife amassed numerous high value assets, including luxury vehicles, residences and a hotel in Thailand. Cazes also possessed millions of dollars in cryptocurrency, which has been seized by the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Mixers help, sure, but XMR’s built-in privacy is why I’ve switched my stash over. Monero’s my go-to for dark web payments because it’s darn near impossible to trace. With tricks like ring signatures and stealth addresses, it keeps your transactions off the radar—unlike Bitcoin, which can leave a trail if you’re not careful. Most markets, like Abacus or Archetyp, love it for that privacy kick. If you’re curious about what’s going on in the dark web next year, you’re in the right place.
AlphaBay Marketplace Returns
It is considered very secure thanks to strict user validations and transparent payment and vendor review procedures. Russian Market has consistently remained one of the most popular and valuable data stores on the dark web. Its affordability and reliability have earned it a loyal customer base.
Why Security Leaders Prefer To Buy CTI Solution For SaaS Platforms In 2025
Users flocked to AlphaBay and other markets at the time, giving the site a huge boost right from the get-go. Local authorities had apprehended Cazes based on an international arrest warrant issued by the US for drug trafficking charges. AlphaBay, an online marketplace that sold illegal products on the Dark Web, has been taken offline following raids in three countries, according to several reports. During the investigation, federal law enforcement seized cryptocurrency valued at $75 million at the time of the seizures, as well as cash and precious metals. We have lot of plans related with harm reduction, some of our closest friends died due to an overdose from a substance they bought adulterated and they did not know it.
- In the spring of 2017, the Alpha Organization paid an extortionist threatening to dox alpha02 and a couple of his moderators at least $45,000 USD, although the veracity of the information the extortionist had has not been verified.
- “He hasn’t really demonstrated anything besides launching a marketplace,” Gray says.
- Active for a decade since 2014, it is a widely used credit card shop used to source stolen credit card information such as dumps, CVVs, Wholesale Accounts.
- When I checked the link I used is very different to the one on the wikipedia page.
- Lolitwors is right that the CAPTCHA doesn’t display, but that’s a red flag—AlphaBay’s homepage requires a user to complete a CAPTCHA to successfully login.
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. It is one of the most active and up to date markets and always provides new and updated malware and data. Our team searched the dark web and put together a list of the most active dark web marketplaces in order to assist you in monitoring illegal trade of products, cybercrime activity, and dark web trends in the dark web space.
Quality and validity of the data it provides justify its higher cost over other marketplaces. The platform’s popularity continues to grow, attracting both new and returning customers. It is one of the most notorious credit card shops on the dark web. It has built a reputation for being a reliable source of stolen credit card data and PII. Renowned for its extensive inventory of financial data and sophisticated operating methods, Brian’s Club is a key player in the underground economy of financial cybercrime.
DeSnake claims there have been 15,000 user accounts created, 450 vendors registered, and over 400 listings published as of the time of writing. Vice City’s an old-timer—over five years strong—and it’s all about keeping things steady with BTC and Monero. Multi-signature escrow and real user feedback make it trustworthy. For 2025, they’re tweaking the mobile site, which I’ve been wanting forever—makes it easier on the go, especially if you’re using Tor on your phone (see how). It’s not fancy, but it’s dependable, and that’s why I keep coming back.
It was considered the biggest online black market for drugs, being between five and ten times the size of the Silk Road dark web marketplace at its peak. Dark web markets have exploded in scale and reach in 2025, becoming the most dangerous hubs for trading drugs, stolen data, and hacking tools. These anonymous marketplaces—operating mainly on the Tor network—are now a primary threat vector for businesses and cybersecurity professionals. Beginning in September 2021, Abacus Market has established itself as one of the leading dark web marketplaces. After AlphaBay closed, Abacus Market took its place as the world’s largest underground darknet marketplaces. Abacus Market quickly rose to prominence by attracting former AlphaBay users and providing a comprehensive platform for a wide range of illicit activities.
According to publicly available information on AlphaBay prior to its takedown, one AlphaBay staff member claimed that it serviced over 200,000 users and 40,000 vendors. Comparatively, the Silk Road dark web marketplace, which was seized by law enforcement in November 2013, had reportedly approximately 14,000 listings for illicit goods and services at the time of seizure and was the largest dark web marketplace at the time. The case of AlphaBay shows how criminal groups are organizing online, including on the dark web, to commit a variety of serious crimes. Tools like the dark web present opportunities for people like Alexandre Cazes to run criminal enterprises from behind a keyboard in one country while facilitating the movements of illicit goods and services from one corner of the globe to the other. This operation to seize the AlphaBay site coincides with efforts by Dutch law enforcement to investigate and take down the Hansa Market, another prominent dark web market. Like AlphaBay, Hansa Market was used to facilitate the sale of illegal drugs, toxic chemicals, malware, counterfeit identification documents, and illegal services.
