Nevertheless, the success might have been the death of Abacus since more exposure usually draws the attention of law enforcement to darknet activities. In 2024, Abacus Market had a market share of around 70% of all Bitcoin-enabled Western darknet trade and was the most popular such service. For now, the uncertainty continues, with users left to wonder whether Abacus will recover—or if their money is already gone. The situation escalated after the platform allegedly came under a sustained DDoS attack, reportedly launched by the Breaking Bad forum team—a rival darknet community. The apparent rug pull comes in the wake of the seizure of another dark web marketplace, Archetyp, which had its domain seized by German authorities in the middle of June.
Abacus Market, once the largest Bitcoin-enabled Western DNM, has abruptly disappeared, leaving its vendors and buyers in limbo amid suspicions of a large-scale exit scam. No, black market websites operate illegally and pose high risks of scams, fraud, and law enforcement action. They use pseudonymous wallets, privacy coins (like Monero), mixers, chain-hopping, and non-KYC platforms to obscure transaction trails.
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Russian Market has operated since 2019, specialising in stolen credentials, stealer logs, and remote desktop access. This survey highlights active and recently shuttered markets with actionable metrics and intelligence for threat hunters, CISOs, and red team leaders. Despite these assurances on dark web forums, many users remained skeptical. However, the platform was hit by several user complaints in late June about stalled withdrawals.
Today’s cybercriminals spread their activities across multiple platforms, making them harder to track and shut down. Following the takedown of Incognito Market in 2024 and the voluntary closure of ASAP Market in 2023, Abacus quickly captured over 70% of the Western darknet market share. The site’s administrator, known by the alias “Vito,” attributed the delays to a flood of new users from the recently dismantled Archetyp Market and an ongoing DDoS attack. Trouble began brewing in late June when users reported issues withdrawing their balances.
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Furthermore, after four years of operating and generating substantial profits, the admins likely lost motivation to continue and chose to exit the ecosystem to preserve their freedom and financial gains. In some cases, such as Nemesis Market’s exit, official seizure notices have appeared months after a DNM has gone offline. Dread’s administrator, Hugbunter — who was in close contact with the Abacus team — believes Abacus’s disappearance was not the result of a law enforcement action. This signals a growing preference among darknet operators for obfuscation and anti-surveillance tools.
Monero remains the preferred cryptocurrency due to enhanced privacy features, unlike Bitcoin, which leaves traceable public ledger records. Never trust forum-posted URLs without independent verification—always cross-check with trusted Abacus darknet repositories. Abacus Market links frequently change to avoid DDoS attacks and law enforcement interference. To verify the abacus link, use a special window on the website. Create an account with a username, secure password, and PGP key.3. Recent upgrades in 2025 have enhanced user experience, with faster load times and improved encryption.
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- The dark web marketplaces are mainly defined into two categories.
- Despite these claims, deposits to the marketplace began to fall, from around $230,000 a day in June to just $13,000 a day by July.
- The leading darknet marketplace for secure, anonymous transactions since 2021.
- In addition to counterfeit merchandise, MGM Grand Market offers access to stolen credit card information, compromised bank accounts, and other financial fraud-related services.
It has an active forum and community along with an extensive user vetting process. 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. Various cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Monero can be used to make purchases. Stick to cryptocurrency, avoid downloading anything, and don’t share any personal info.
- The market is known for its extensive product listings and reputation system that helps buyers evaluate the reliability of vendors.
- Abacus Market, a well-known darknet marketplace dealing in drugs, counterfeit documents, and digital goods, has abruptly disappeared from the dark web.
- The abacus darknet shop provides extensive security resources and abacus market tor tutorials for new users.
- $100, but might be increased (only for vendors with no reviews on other markets)
- Although each marketplace may have its own specialty, most focus on a few well-known categories.
The marketplace’s catalog covered stimulants, opioids, psychedelics, prescription pills, benzodiazepines, unlicensed medicines and cannabis products. Though it was open for users worldwide, it worked hard to attract Australian buyers, even hiring a local moderator and sprinkling Australian slang through its site text. This shows that users were growing increasingly suspicious of the site. TRM Labs says the site’s operators probably closed the doors and ran off with customers’ funds in a classic exit scam. Similar growth spikes followed the voluntary closure of ASAP Market last year, with Abacus’s share of the Bitcoin-based Western darknet market rising above 70%. Reports of withdrawal problems began circulating in late June, prompting Abacus’s admin, known as “Vito,” to blame the issues on a surge of new users and a distributed denial-of-service attack.
Despite reassurances, users rapidly withdrew from the platform. Abacus launched in September 2021 as ‘Alphabet Market,’ and gradually increased its popularity, especially as the number of other markets on the dark web dwindled, mostly as a result of law enforcement actions. Blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs reports that Abacus shutting down so abruptly has all the indications of either an exit scam or a covert law enforcement operation dismantling the activity. “In some cases, such as Nemesis Market’s exit, official seizure notices have appeared months after a DNM darknet market has gone offline,” TRM Labs added. However, the firm also said the administrator of the dark web discussion forum Dread, who was in close contact with the Abacus team, has cast doubt on law enforcement being behind the marketplace’s disappearance. TRM Labs said there is also a chance that law enforcement covertly seized the marketplace and are staying quiet about the operation while they compile evidence and track down those involved.
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All of this has made it one of the most reliable markets still active in 2025. Abacus Market appeared on the scene in 2021 and quickly became one of the heavyweights among English-speaking markets on the dark web. Although each marketplace may have its own specialty, most focus on a few well-known categories.
Abacus Market goes offline after user complaints; TRM Labs suspects a $12M exit scam, with other theories pointing to law enforcement or admin shutdown. Abacus was one of the top darknet marketplaces dealing in Bitcoin. The major marketplace, Abacus, which held 70% of the market share in Bitcoin-enabled Western platforms in 2024, has reportedly vanished. These platforms, which offer a degree of anonymity, are riddled with dangers such as exit scams, fraud, and legal repercussions. A significant surge in activity on Abacus occurred in mid-June, following Europol's operation against Archetyp Market, one of the oldest darknet marketplaces.
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At the time of writing, there has been no confirmation from law enforcement. However, the possibility of a silent law enforcement operation hasn’t been entirely ruled out. Users started reporting withdrawal issues and delays, prompting concern on darknet forums. The site’s infrastructure, including its clearnet mirror, went offline without warning or the typical law enforcement seizure banner.
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Vendors, who rely on timely withdrawals to access their earnings, are particularly worried, with some claiming their funds are now stuck in escrow. Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered a dangerous tool causing a stir on the dark web and within It blends illegal trade with extra features like gambling, all while maintaining a clear and accessible structure. The platform is available in both English and French, reinforcing its regional focus. Additionally, it offers automatic purchases, buyer protection, and even a loyalty points program.Since its launch, it has conducted several massive data leaks. It operates both on the dark web and the clear web, making access significantly easier.
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TRM Labs reports that both its clearnet mirror and hidden-service infrastructure became inaccessible, and the site’s operator, known only as “Vito,” vanished along with users’ escrowed funds. Users who engage in these marketplaces do so at their own risk, with little to no protection for their funds or personal information. Vito eventually stopped communicating entirely, aligning with typical exit scam patterns observed in other darknet sites like Evolution Market. Whether it’s tighter surveillance, further shutdowns, or a shift toward decentralized darknet tools, Abacus may be the domino that triggers broader collapse in the West’s illicit digital markets. In one of the biggest darknet shutdowns of the year, Abacus Market has gone dark, triggering alarms across crypto and cybersecurity communities. Blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs reported that both Abacus Market’s dark web and clearnet infrastructure are now inaccessible, a likely exit scam by its operators.
By supplying stolen data, these dark web links fuel many online scams and identity theft operations, playing a critical role in the darker aspects of the internet. The second category consists of data stores, which specialize in stolen information. As of 2020, nearly 57% of the dark web was estimated to contain illegal content, including violence and extremist platforms.
Its market share grew rapidly following the closures of other major darknet markets, and climbed from 10% in 2022 to over 70% by 2024. TRM Labs said that this is a classic red flag in the darknet ecosystem, which often precedes an exit scam. WeTheNorth is a Canadian market established in 2021 that also serves international users. Some markets are invite-only or have strict registration rules to keep out scammers and law enforcement.
Ready To Experience Abacus Market?
Cointelegraph is committed to providing independent, high-quality journalism across the crypto, blockchain, AI, and fintech industries. TRM Labs speculates the Abacus operators could have also “lost motivation to continue” or chose to exit the ecosystem to “preserve their freedom and financial gains.” Its website and infrastructure, including its clearnet mirror, are inaccessible, TRM Labs said in a report on Monday.
The Abacus Market links to the new dark web marketplace sections and took over much of the vacuum left by the AlphaBay takedown. Security researchers have been monitoring forums within the cybercriminal underworld to investigate the leading markets operating in 2026. Others are looking for stolen data, hacking services, or even banned books and political content.
