It contains 40,000+ listings for illegal products (mostly) and is worth an estimated $15 million, so it’s one of the largest markets out there. Now that you understand what the dark web is all about, you might wonder why other people do things on it. Darknet marketplaces like to exist on the dark web because it offers a service that the regular internet, or more accurately, the “surface web,” does not.
While an exit scam is the primary suspicion, other explanations have been proposed. TRM Labs analysts suggested that law enforcement agencies might be conducting a covert operation to gather evidence. However, Dread, a site administrator reportedly in contact with the Abacus team, expressed doubts about this possibility. Another theory is that administrators may have voluntarily left the market due to increased regulatory scrutiny.
The site’s operators charged fees on every transaction and even offered 3.3 million cards for free to lure in new users. The FBI described the takedown as a significant step in disrupting financial cybercrime operations. TRM Labs estimates that total transactions, including Monero, may have reached $300–$400 million.
- Immediately change your passwords, enable two-factor authentication, and notify your bank or credit card provider if the leaked information includes your financial data.
- The Abacus Site is regularly audited to prevent vulnerabilities, ensuring a safe shopping environment.
- Abacus Shop is a conceptual darknet market used to illustrate privacy, security, and decentralized commerce.
- The information about a specific cryptocurrency exchange or trading platform in reviews and guides may differ from the actual provider’s website.
- Fraudsters create fake versions of popular darknet sites to trick users into entering login details or personal data.
How To Stay Safe On Abacus Market?
They even have a Telegram channel to provide their clients with live updates. Like most of the markets, STYX supports Bitcoin (BTC), Monero (XMR), and other crypto tokens to keep everyone’s identity hidden on this marketplace. The Abacus Market shop is designed for seamless dark web trading, featuring DDoS protection, bot filters, and an intuitive interface. Supporting multiple currencies like AUD, USD, EUR, and GBP, along with light and dark mode options, it’s the ultimate destination for 2025 darknet commerce.
MGM Grand Market
Some services even target entire companies or public systems. Exodus Marketplace started to become popular after the shutdown of Genesis Market, and it replaced it successfully. It claims to control more than 7,000 bots from 190+ countries, with data prices ranging from $3 to $10, based on the quality it offers. The marketplace has a simple interface, lets users filter logs easily, and accepts Bitcoin, Monero, and Litecoin for payments. Next up is Abacus, another newer market that has already made a massive name for itself, especially following AlphaBay’s closure.
Darknet Market Abacus May Be Gone For Good After BTC Move
No law enforcement seizure banners have appeared, fuelling suspicions that the platform’s operators simply vanished with user funds. Analysts note that while a covert takedown remains a possibility, the signs overwhelmingly point to an exit strategy. Use the official onion link to access Abacus Market securely. Always verify links through trusted sources like Dread or PGP signatures to avoid phishing. Data from TRM Labs indicate that Abacus was among the top three bitcoin-enabled darknet marketplaces by transaction volume.
Many users migrated to Abacus, and the site’s monthly sales volume dramatically jumped to $6.3 million. TRM Labs analysis shows that nearly half of the marketplaces launched in 2024 accepted only Monero — a sharp increase from just over one-third in 2023. This signals a growing preference among darknet operators for obfuscation and anti-surveillance tools.
- TRM specialists suggested that, amid increased attention from law enforcement agencies, operators may have conducted an exit scam—disappearing with users’ funds.
- H25.io is a premium directory in the Tor network, offering access to a diverse and meticulously curated list of onion sites.
- Darknet marketplace Abacus is facing growing suspicions of an exit scam following widespread user complaints about inaccessible accounts and delayed withdrawals.
- Genesis Market and BidenCash, two top dark web marketplaces, were also shut down in 2023 and 2025, respectively.
- Nevertheless, most people on the internet do not need to communicate or venture into the dark web.
The Abacus Market Provides A Diverse Array Of Goods
Various cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Monero can be used to make purchases. One of the most common is the exit scam, where a marketplace suddenly disappears and takes everyone’s money with it. These sites cater to cybercriminals seeking valuable data, such as credit card numbers, login credentials, and personal information.
How Does Abacus Compare To Other Markets?
Clean, intuitive design similar to classic markets like AlphaBay makes navigation easy for all users. All transactions use escrow by default, holding funds securely until you confirm delivery of your order. Crypto security researcher Chainalysis notes that Abacus is one of the biggest dark web platforms serving Western customers and received $43.3 million on-chain last year.
Bitcoin Darknet Marketplace Abacus Market Goes Dark, Exit Scam Suspected
The victims, who are common users, businesses, and even banks, who end up paying the price. Even though Silk Road is long gone, its impact is still here. It became the blueprint for other dark web marketplaces that tried to take its place. Ulbricht faced several serious charges, including distributing illegal drugs, running a criminal enterprise, hacking, trafficking fake IDs, and money laundering. In the end, he was sentenced to life in prison for running one of the largest and most scandalous dark web cases in history.
US Treasury Sanctions Iranian National For Operating Darknet Market Nemesis
It’s possible that Abacus went offline due to law enforcement activity, although there’s been no word yet from any such authorities. More likely, suggested TRM Labs, is that Vitro saw what happened to previous market leader Archetyp, and decided to cut and run before Abacus also drew the scrutiny of police and prosecutors. Unlike Archetyp and DrugHub that enforce Monero-only policies, Abacus offers more flexibility while maintaining strong security. Its interface resembles classic markets like AlphaBay and Empire.
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. Despite Telegram’s anonymity, the dark web is still a hot spot for illegal trading of malware, illicit goods, and stolen data (such as stolen credit card information). Even with the increase in law enforcement pressure, the dark web market still achieved a revenue of $2 billion in 2024.
Of course, not all the popular and widely-used dark web sites and things like marketplaces on the dark net are illegal. Nevertheless, most people on the internet do not need to communicate or venture into the dark web. The dark web is a hidden section of the internet that you cannot reach with common search engines like Bing or Google. The only way in is through the use of special software that renders all users anonymous and untraceable. One of the services provided by Abacus is the opportunity to verify an individual’s personal data.
