Abacus Market, the largest Bitcoin BTC-driven darknet marketplace in the Western world, has abruptly gone dark, bringing about suspicions of a major exit scam. In early July, Abacus Market, the largest Bitcoin‑based Western darknet marketplace, abruptly went offline, triggering widespread suspicions of an exit scam. Data from TRM Labs indicate that Abacus was among the top three bitcoin-enabled darknet marketplaces by transaction volume.
After Hydra Market’s 2022 closure, new Russian-language darknet markets emerged and have managed to capture over 97% of global darknet drug revenues by 2024. TRM Labs also noted that despite major darknet platforms shutting down, the ecosystem continues to adapt quickly. The timing aligns with a pattern observed in the darknet ecosystem, where markets that reach peak prominence often face a choice between risking seizure and preserving personal safety and profits. Its market share grew rapidly following the closures of other major darknet markets, and climbed from 10% in 2022 to over 70% by 2024.
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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. In late June, however, users began complaining about failed withdrawals and transaction errors, and earlier this month the platform became completely inaccessible. The fall of Abacus Market has left a noticeable void in the Western darknet trade, particularly for Bitcoin-based transactions. In June 2024 alone, Abacus registered a record-breaking $6.3 million in sales, commanding over 70% of the market share in the Bitcoin-supporting Western darknet ecosystem.
Abacus commanded around 70% of the market share across all Bitcoin-enabled Western darknet marketplaces in 2024. The platform also requires users to create a PIN for additional security. Several Abacus Market onion links are available for users to access the marketplace securely. Abacus Market, launched in 2021, has gained popularity as one of the leading darknet markets.
Abacus’s exit follows the June 16, 2025 law enforcement seizure of Archetyp Market, marking the latest in a series of shutdowns in the Western DNM ecosystem. In what concerns user deposits, TRM Labs reports that the platform received last month an average of $230,000 per day, across 1,400 transactions. While an exit scam is the primary suspicion, other explanations have been proposed. Its share of the Bitcoin-supporting Western dark market ecosystem also spiked to over 70%, following ASAP’s closure and the law enforcement seizure of Incognito Market in March 2024. This market offers a variety of goods and services, including drugs, weapons, counterfeit documents, and other illegal goods. Transactions are typically conducted using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Monero, ensuring secure and anonymous payments.
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This sharp decline in activity mirrored warning signs observed in previous darknet market exit scams, where operators initially downplay technical difficulties before vanishing altogether. Exit scams occur when markets suddenly disappear with user funds; watch for warning signs like withdrawal delays with Abacus darknet or admin silence. Unlike some emerging markets that focused exclusively on Monero (XMR), a privacy-centric cryptocurrency, Abacus supported transactions in both Monero and Bitcoin.
A graduate in Political Science and Journalism, her interest lies in regulatory implications with a focus on technological evolution in the crypto realm. While it remains possible that law enforcement seized Abacus covertly, Dread forum administrator Hugbunter, who maintained close contact with the project’s staff, believes the shutdown was not linked to an official takedown. While it catered to a global audience, it particularly focused on the Australian market with tailored moderators and cultural messaging. This was reflected in a sharp decline in deposits from an average of $230,000 daily across 1,400 transactions in early June to just $13,000 daily across 100 deposits by early July. Despite these assurances on dark web forums, many users remained skeptical.
The platform is available in both English and French, reinforcing its regional focus. These campaigns helped them gain users and redirect traffic after attacks such as DDoS.With an easy-to-use interface, a vast amount of data, and constant updates, BidenCash has become a favorite among cybercriminals involved in identity theft and financial fraud. And it worked.This market focuses on stolen credit cards, personal identifiable information (PII), and SSH access credentials. If someone wants direct access to a server, a cPanel, or an email, this is the place to go.The market is in English and features a massive catalog with over 800,000 illegal products. Everything is conducted within the Tor network, with payments made in Bitcoin or Monero, as is customary.One of its most curious features is its daily raffle system, funded by the market's commissions.
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These features have helped Abacus achieve the highest user satisfaction rate (98.2%) among all darknet markets. Today, Abacus Market continues to innovate with over 1,200 verified vendors and 45,000+ daily users. After implementing multi-signature escrow and mandatory PGP encryption, Abacus Market saw exponential growth, surpassing 500 vendors and 15,000 daily users by mid-2022. Starting with just 23 vendors, the platform quickly gained traction. The evolution of the most trusted darknet marketplace
- While not all are pictured above, in total, we found 16 vendors either selling or sourcing drug material from Abacus and purchasing production supplies from this China-based vendor.
- This explanation failed to calm the market.
- In what concerns user deposits, TRM Labs reports that the platform received last month an average of $230,000 per day, across 1,400 transactions.
- Without vendors, darknet marketplaces cannot operate or generate profits, making them a more strategic enforcement target.
- It is faster because the order is finalized as soon as the vendor marks it as shipped.
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TRM Labs said that this is a classic red flag in the darknet ecosystem, which often precedes an exit scam. Launched in 2021 as Alphabet Market before rebranding to Abacus later that year, the platform gained popularity by targeting Australian users and supporting transactions in both Bitcoin (BTC) and Monero (XMR). No law enforcement seizure banners have appeared, fuelling suspicions that the platform’s operators simply vanished with user funds. Abacus combines the security of newer markets like Archetyp with the user-friendly approach of classic markets like AlphaBay.
Abacus Market Disappears In Suspected Exit Scam After Handling $300 Million In Darknet Transactions
Although the name has changed, the Abacus team still managed to pay homage to their ‘favorite marketplace of all time‘ (AlphaBay) by using the upgraded version of their design. The information about a specific cryptocurrency exchange or trading platform in reviews and guides may differ from the actual provider’s website. A related proposal allows converting crypto from criminal cases into state funds. 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. But in reality, exit scams remain the fastest way out for operators once the risk gets too high.What comes next could be a turning point. When factoring in Monero, the untraceable cryptocurrency used for most of the platform’s trades, total sales are believed to have exceeded $300 million.
Abacus’s administrator, known as “Vito,” attempted to assuage fears on the darknet forum Dread, attributing the issues to a surge in new users following the shutdown of Archetyp Market and a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack. The unfolding of the suspected exit scam began with user complaints about delayed withdrawals. TRM Labs estimates that the market facilitated nearly $100 million in Bitcoin transactions alone. By last year, it commanded a dominant 70% of the Western darknet market landscape.
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The categories are well organized, ranging from drugs and fraud to digital products, guides, and malware.What really sets it apart is its focus on security and usability. Today, they are still active and have evolved considerably in terms of security and sophistication. Transactions there are made with cryptocurrencies to keep everything as secret as possible.Want to explore more about how to enter safely? The market even experienced its best month in June, with brokered sales peaking at $6.3 million, indicating robust activity just before its demise.
TRM estimates the platform processed between $300 million and $400 million in total sales during its operation. 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. Analysts note that while a covert takedown remains a possibility, the signs overwhelmingly point to an exit strategy. We do not operate Abacus Market or any darknet service.
This explanation failed to calm the market. Abacus had recently grown in dominance after Europol’s June takedown of Archetyp Market, handling $6.3 million in monthly sales and controlling over 70% of Bitcoin-enabled Western darknet trade. 🚨 A significant shake-up in the darknet scene! Michael Saylor, executive chairman of Strategy, says Bitcoin’s volatility has declined significantly despite growing institutional participation in the market. Bitcoin may be approaching the price range where market stress reaches its peak, according to André Dragosch, head of research… Bitzuma is dedicated to delivering accurate, unbiased, and well-researched content, ensuring that readers stay informed with the latest trends, market insights, and technological advancements.
The vendor’s listing of a protonitazene analog boldly states that the compound has a potency 20x greater than that of fentanyl, as seen below. The vendor accepts BTC and XMR, and analyzing its on-chain exposure to regional CEXs and DNMs reveals that it serves customers worldwide, including in the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Russia. Along with its listings for large pill press machines, the vendor does not hide the sale of Oxycontin and Xanax TDP die kits, which are used to press counterfeit pills. For example, in India, one of the most frequent listings is for generic medication, which mostly comes from the first vendor shown below. In Colombia, for instance, many of the vendor listings are for cocaine or Infrastructure-as-a-Service, as seen in the screenshot below.
What’s Behind This Likely Exit Scam?
While these outfits are not traditional DNMs, their success highlights how drug vendors are scaling their operations throughout Russian-speaking countries. Abacus Market represents a new era, next generation marketplace. Informer and vxdb, another cybercrime news reporter, both claimed it wasn’t a good look, with Informer speculating that it’s a sign of a “possible exit scam in process.” 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. 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.
