That’s compared to $124 million in losses in all of 2023, more than $19 million more than the year before. In Ontario, victims lost nearly $23 million in crypto investment frauds from Jan. 1 and Sept. 30 of this year, the data shows. The problem is so concerning to police that last month, the OPP launched an initiative called Project Atlas to fight cryptocurrency investment fraud and protect victims in Ontario and abroad. Some are looking for illegal stuff they can’t buy elsewhere, like drugs or counterfeit documents.
How Do We Calculate The Cryptocurrency Market Cap?
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. Of the 120 Chinese precursor manufacturers we examined—spanning 26 cities and 16 provinces—97% offered payment in cryptocurrencies. On-chain insights and exposure to cryptocurrency exchanges and ATMs can offer law enforcement with valuable leads. Manufacturer wallets are most commonly hosted at exchanges, with funds sent from unhosted wallets, cryptocurrency exchanges, and payment services. In the US, for example, cryptocurrency ATMs were found to have sent more than USD 170,000 directly to Chinese precursor vendors in 2023.
Top 7 Dark Web Marketplaces
In those situations, our Dexscan product lists them automatically by taking on-chain data for newly created smart contracts. We do not cover every chain, but at the time of writing we track the top 70 crypto chains, which means that we list more than 97% of all tokens. Established in 2019, Russian Market is a well-known and highly regarded data store on the dark web, specializing in the sale of PII and various forms of stolen data. Despite its name, the marketplace operates primarily in English and serves a global audience.
Blockchain Intelligence Is Key In The Global Fight Against Illicit Drugs
This further complicates monitoring efforts because now you need to search for the related Telegram channels and track activity there and on the marketplace itself. And one of the most important tools an investor can use to protect themselves from losses or fraud is education, says Lucas Matheson, the CEO of Coinbase Canada, a registered crypto dealer in Ontario. That means knowing the rules of how a digital currency functions and is exchanged.
When asset prices move quickly in either direction and the market itself is relatively thin, it can sometimes be difficult to conduct transactions as might be needed. To overcome this problem, a new type of cryptocurrency tied in value to existing currencies — ranging from the U.S. dollar, other fiats or even other cryptocurrencies — arose. These new cryptocurrency are known as stablecoins, and they can be used for a multitude of purposes due to their stability. Each of our coin data pages has a graph that shows both the current and historic price information for the coin or token. Normally, the graph starts at the launch of the asset, but it is possible to select specific to and from dates to customize the chart to your own needs. The most experienced and professional traders often choose to use the best crypto API on the market.
The Sinaloa Cartel is known to use digital currencies to settle debts with suppliers and purchase goods from Chinese manufacturers, which are then resold in Mexico and South America to generate clean revenue. The cartel also uses cryptocurrency to obfuscate the flow of illicit funds, making it difficult for authorities to track the proceeds of drug sales. For even more insights and analysis on cryptocurrency’s role in the drug precursor market, be sure to download your copy of our “Beyond Fentanyl” report. Since it is open source, it is possible for other people to use the majority of the code, make a few changes and then launch their own separate currency. Some of these coins are very similar to Bitcoin, with just one or two amended features (such as Litecoin), while others are very different, with varying models of security, issuance and governance.
Topics And Products Sold
Once they invest, the suspect will direct them to a web page to show them how much their money has grown and encourage them to invest more. The Abacus Market links to the new dark web marketplace sections and took over much of the vacuum left by the AlphaBay takedown. One of the most common is the exit scam, where a marketplace suddenly disappears and takes everyone’s money with it.
Stick to cryptocurrency, avoid downloading anything, and don’t share any personal info. Ransomware and cryptocurrency-based crimes saw a significant increase in 2023, with a nearly $176 million rise compared to 2022. In 2019, there were approximately 8,400 active sites on the dark web, selling thousands of products and services daily.
Top Dark Web Marketplaces Of 2025: A Deeper Dive Into Illicit Trade Markets
They can be used as art, a way to share QR codes, ticketing and many more things. The first breakout use was for art, with projects like CryptoPunks and Bored Ape Yacht Club gaining large followings. We also list all of the top NFT collections available, including the related NFT coins and tokens.. We collect latest sale and transaction data, plus upcoming NFT collection launches onchain. NFTs are a new and innovative part of the crypto ecosystem that have the potential to change and update many business models for the Web 3 world. The world of crypto now contains many coins and tokens that we feel unable to verify.
The Rise Of Cryptocurrency In The Synthetic Drug Trade
Established in 2022, Torzon market is one of the biggest and most diverse marketplaces on the dark web. It is considered very secure thanks to strict user validations and transparent payment and vendor review procedures. STYX Market focuses specifically on financial fraud, making it a go-to destination for cybercriminals engaged in this activity.
- Ransomware and cryptocurrency-based crimes saw a significant increase in 2023, with a nearly $176 million rise compared to 2022.
- Despite growing crackdowns from law enforcement agencies, the dark web remains a hotbed of criminal activity, offering everything from drugs to stolen data.
- CoinMarketCap also provides data about the most successful traders for you to monitor.
- Often with crypto fraud schemes, individuals come across online ads to buy crypto for as little as $250, Armit says.
- We developed Lunar to monitor the deep and dark web, including dark web marketplace sites.
- We calculate the total cryptocurrency market capitalization as the sum of all cryptocurrencies listed on the site.
“We’re just finding that organized crime is being more brazen nowadays,” he said. Since Project Atlas’s launch, Armit says investigators have identified victims in 12 countries and 2,000 cryptocurrency wallet addresses belonging to victims all around the world. Ontario Provincial Police are warning potential cryptocurrency investors to do more to protect themselves as the digital currency’s popularity grows. Canadians are losing millions of dollars in cryptocurrency fraud schemes and at least one Ontario detective specializing in the area predicts such scams will soon outpace wire transfers as the largest payment method used by fraudsters. 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.
Launched in September 2022, Torzon Market operates on the Tor network and features over 11,600 illegal products, including drugs and hacking tools. It enhances buyer transparency by importing vendor feedback with PGP proof. Torzon offers a premium account option for additional benefits and is valued at approximately $15 million, accepting payments in Bitcoin (BTC) and Monero (XMR). WeTheNorth is a Canadian market established in 2021 that also serves international users. It offers counterfeit documents, financial fraud tools, hacking and malware services.
How Do We Calculate Our Cryptocurrency Prices?
As of 2020, nearly 57% of the dark web was estimated to contain illegal content, including violence and extremist platforms. 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. Fill out the form to speak with our team about investigative professional services. One of the biggest winners is Axie Infinity — a Pokémon-inspired game where players collect Axies (NFTs of digital pets), breed and battle them against other players to earn Smooth Love Potion (SLP) — the in-game reward token. This game was extremely popular in developing countries like The Philippines, due to the level of income they could earn.
Founded in 2014, BriansClub remains one of the oldest and most infamous dark web markets for stolen credit cards, fullz (complete identity kits), and dumps. Launched after the takedown of AlphaBay in 2021, Abacus Market has rapidly risen to prominence. It features over 40,000 listings including narcotics, counterfeit items, hacking tools, and stolen data. The marketplace is well-known for its bug bounty programs and robust security mechanisms, including mandatory 2FA.
The first category includes classic marketplaces, which serve as one-stop shops for a wide range of illegal goods. These platforms sell everything from drugs and fake IDs to weapons and hacking tools, resembling a digital black-market bazaar. These include precursors for mephedrone, MDMA, and new novel synthetic opioids like nitazenes—which can be up to ten times stronger than fentanyl.
