Dark web marketplace, Monopoly Market, has taken a stand against scammers claiming to sell cures and treatments for COVID-19 on its platform. On other darknet platforms, listings are rife with coronavirus keywords — with vendors selling everything from narcotic cocktails marketed as ‘coronavirus vaccines,’ to coronavirus-infected blood and saliva. Monopoly Market to ban vendors using coronavirus as ‘marketing tool’ On April 2, dark web journalist, Eileen Ormsby, tweeted a screenshot posted by Monopoly Market’s operator that threatened permanent bans against vendors “caught flogging goods as a ‘cure’ to Coronavirus.” “We have class here,” the post states.“You do not, under any …

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) conducted a training course on combating darkweb-facilitated crime. Law enforcement representatives from Central Asian countries were taught how the darkweb and cryptocurrencies function, in order to better combat drug-related crime. The training was held in the span of five days that ended on Feb. 21, an official announcement reveals. The course focused specifically on “new psychoactive substances,” synthetic replacements of common drugs that are designed to mimic their effect. They are often considered more dangerous due to their unknown history and particularly shady production practices. Law enforcement representatives from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, …

A senior adviser to the operator of the Silk Road dark web marketplace has pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute narcotics in a Manhattan federal court. According to a United States Department of Justice press release dated Jan. 30, Roger Thomas Clark was a key figure in the development of Silk Road, advising on all aspects of the enterprise, and even attempting to arrange a murder-for-hire to protect its interests. Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht described Clark, who used a number of online aliases such as “Variety Jones,” and “Plural of Mongoose,” as a “real mentor,” who …

The volume of cryptocurrency flows coming on darknet markets have doubled for the first time in four years, a new study says. In part of its 2020 Crypto Crime Report published on Jan. 28, Chainalysis — a New York-based blockchain analytics firm — found that darknet markets have significantly increased their share of total incoming crypto transactions in 2019, doubling from 0.04% in 2018 to 0.08%. Crypto on darknets is resilient to scrutiny by law enforcement According to the study, total market sales in crypto grew 70% in 2019 to account for more than $790 million worth of cryptocurrency after …

United States think tank The Rand Corporation has taken a closer look at the dark web, where criminal activities are difficult to discover, monitor, and investigate for law enforcement. On Nov. 20, The Rand Corporation, the Police Executive Research Forum, and the University of Denver on behalf of the National Institute of Justice released a report that dives into a variety of criminal aspects of the so-called dark web. Dark web provides level of anonymity by using crypto The report was compiled during a workshop where law enforcement practitioners and researchers identified 46 potential solutions that include the improvement of …

A United States court has ordered Christopher Bania, who recently pleaded guilty to drug distribution, to give up almost 17 Bitcoin (BTC) — worth roughly $150,000 at press time. The plea, order and sentencing Per the Oct. 19 order from a court in Wisconsin, Bania will need to forfeit “Approximately 16.91880054 Bitcoin seized from Bania’s ‘Local Bitcoins’ account.” Though worth roughly $153,100 as of publication, it is much less than the 124 BTC that the court is returning to the defendant, alongside various other cryptocurrencies and over $50,000 in cash seized from his residence upon arrest. Though originally charged with …

Binance claims to have assisted British prosecutors in an investigation of an online fraud that resulted in over $51 million losses by victims. Criminal is now jailed On Sept. 26, Binance’s chief compliance officer Samuel Lim published a blog post saying that the exchange was working with the Cyber Crime Unit of the United Kingdom’s Metropolitan Police Service to investigate into Bulgarian phishing expert Svetoslav Donchev. As officially reported by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Donchev, 37, was extradited to the U.K. from Bulgaria to face the online scamming fraud charges and pleaded guilty to five offences to receive a …

Security researchers have identified a new trend of lucrative and illicit conversions from Bitcoin (BTC) to cash in their analysis of dozens of dark web marketplaces and forums. Financial scammers are selling cold, hard cash for only 10 to 12 cents on the dollar to buyers willing to provide a prepaid fee in Bitcoin, according to the new Q3 2019 Black Market Report from Armor’s Threat Resistance Unit. Dodging risks The money laundering scheme sees cybercriminals offer up bundles of cash — typically from $2,500 to $10,000 — in exchange for a 10% to 12% fee payable in Bitcoin. Once …

A couple operating out of Merced, California have pleaded guilty to selling drugs on the dark web in exchange for cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH). The United States Department of Justice announced the charges in a press release on Aug. 6. According to the announcement, Jabari Monson has pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute controlled substances, while Saudia Monson plead guilty to violating the Travel Act. Saudia allegedly used both mail and the internet to distribute controlled substances. According to the press release, the Monsons distributed cocaine, cocaine base, methamphetamine and marijuana through multiple vendor accounts on …

A Florida man has pled guilty to participating in a multi-million dollar Bitcoin-enabled drug dealing conspiracy and money laundering. According to a July 25 press release from the United States Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York, the defendant, Richard Castro, pled guilty to money laundering and to conspiracy to distribute three controlled opioid substances over both the dark web and via encrypted emails. Castro — who operated under multiple monikers, such as “Chems_usa,”“Chemical_usa” and “Jagger109” — sold narcotics for Bitcoin (BTC) and has agreed to forfeit $4,156,198.18, including the funds in seven different BTC wallet addresses. The …

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey S. Berman announced the arrest of alleged dark web drug dealer Hugh Brian Haney in a press release published on July 18. Per the release, Haney has been charged with money laundering. He allegedly used cryptocurrency to launder more than $19 million of profits earned selling illegal drugs on the now-defunct darknet market Silk Road. Berman commented to the development: “Today’s arrest should be a warning to dealers peddling their drugs on the dark web that they cannot remain anonymous forever, especially when attempting to legitimize their illicit proceeds.” …

Recent research by Chainanalysis suggests that the amount of bitcoin (BTC) spent on illegal transactions this year could hit a record high of $1 billion, even as the ratio of illegal to legal transactions is shrinking, according to a report by Bloomberg on July 1. As per the report, the total flat value of BTC spent on illegal activity so far this year is thought to be $515 million. The research suggests that by the end of the year, this figure will double to reach $1 billion. However, the amount of BTC spent on illegal services as opposed to legal …