Marketplaces

Dark web does not necessarily mean dirty business, but a good chunk of what is sold on that part of the internet is illegal.

Every murky thing imaginable is sold on illicit marketplaces on the darknet, which is why the dark web has earned its reputation as being the digital equivalent of the criminal underworld.

To illustrate the sheer amount of illicit activities on darknet marketplaces, we have compiled a list of some of the weirdest, craziest and most horrendous things you can buy on the dark web.

Drugs 

Hard drugs come at the top of the most popular products sold on the dark web. Prescription drugs like Xanax and Ritalin are popular while heroin, cocaine, and meth are commonplace too.

Private vendors on darknet marketplaces also sell research chemicals and any illegal substance you can imagine. Most deals on these marketplaces are completed using escrow and digital currencies such as bitcoin, litecoin, and monero are the payment methods of choice for dark web marketplace users and vendors.  

Hitmen 

Some are real while many are scams but, it is a fact, that you can hire an assassin on the darknet.

Members of the criminal underworld have set up murder-for-hire sites with many of them deploying marketing tactics to attract customers. Payments are usually made in the privacy-focused cryptocurrency monero.

Government agencies like the FBI heavily monitor these platforms and many believe that the majority of both buyers and “vendors” of these services are members of law enforcement agencies who are trying to catch the criminals behind the handful of “real” murder-for-hire networks.

Guns

A wide range of guns can be purchased on darknet marketplaces without the need for necessary paperwork or authorization.

A research study in 2019 showed that over sixty-four percent of the firearms advertised were handguns, 17 percent were semi-automatic guns, and fully automatic guns were 4 percent.

Bomb-making materials

Terrorists are believed to use the anonymity provided by the dark web to buy materials for making C4 explosives and other homemade bombs.

Somewhat shockingly, pretty much all types of bomb-making materials can be found on the dark web provided the buyer spends enough time looking for it. Even uranium, used in the production of atomic bombs, has allegedly been seen for sale on the darknet.

Fake documents

Fugitives and people seeking to start a new life for whatever reasons are usually in need of new documents like birth certificates, ID cards, and passports. The dark web enables these individuals to get what they need.

While there are no guarantees that fake passports and other ID documents purchased on the dark web can get someone access a border, individuals who are in need of a fake ID can purchase it online for a relatively small amount of money.

Stolen identities and information

Hackers who have been able to steal data from a public system usually sell this information on the dark web. After a major data breach, personal information is bought and sold to others on the dark web in hacking forums or on darknet marketplaces.

When Facebook accounts were hacked in 2018, it was reported that users information were being sold on the dark web. The data was sold for as little as $3.

Hacked credit cards

Stolen credit cards are one of the most common items found on darknet marketplaces. Criminals will clone credit card or using phishing methods to get their hands on them and then sell them on the dark web.

Credit cards are often sold in batches of 100 at prices as low as $17. They are sold that way because there are no standard ways to know when a credit card has reached its usage limit.

Stolen cars

People who get involved in auto theft have a marketplace on the dark web where stolen cars can be bought and sold with complete anonymity.

In some cases, cars can even be stolen on demand. It works by first placing your order on a marketplace and then providing your mobile phone number. Then. it takes about three and seven days for a car of your chosen model (BMW, Mercedes Benz, Toyota or any other car model) to be stolen. It is delivered to your city in a location both buyer and seller agrees to.

Stolen Netflix Accounts

Despite Netflix only costing $10 a month, some individuals will rather illegally buy a Netflix subscription off the dark web. These subscriptions are mostly paid for with stolen credit cards or digital currency.

Hackers are able to access Netflix users’ account names and passwords through phishing campaigns and then sell these details on darknet marketplaces for small amounts of money.

Hacked PayPal Accounts

Just like Netflix subscription, Paypal account details can be purchased. Vendors sell PayPal login details to criminals on darknet markets who then drain the accounts of their funds.

The sheer amount of criminal activity found on the dark web should act as a warning to ensure that you adhere to basic cybersecurity principles, such as not clicking on any links in emails from unknown senders and to think twice before handing over personal information to anyone as it could easily end up being sold on the dark web.