Deep Market – TOR Scam Report (1)
Onion Link: http://deepmarli2lyewdfmx62ym2suhg32elt7rpnra2bgdg26qms7hqyecyd.onion
Scam Report Date: 2024/03/01
Client Scam Report Breakdown
Original Report Summary:
A user reported a scam on the DeepMarket platform after purchasing a fraudulent PayPal transfer valued at $1,500 for $100. According to the original report, the transaction was never completed as the user never received the PayPal transfer, and neither the vendor nor the support team responded to their inquiries. This issue persisted for over a week without resolution, leading the user to submit a complaint. This report highlights the user’s dissatisfaction with the platform’s handling of the issue and serves as a red flag for potential buyers on DeepMarket, particularly when dealing with specific categories like money transfers.
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Transaction and Vendor Context
The scam occurred in the “Money Transfers” category, which features vendors like PayPal Mafia and 24TransferBank, both specializing in fraudulent transfers via platforms such as PayPal, Skrill, and Western Union. The buyer likely made the purchase from one of these vendors offering transfers at a steep discount compared to the transfer’s actual value. For example, the user paid $100 with the expectation of receiving a $1,500 transfer, a significant profit margin if legitimate. This pricing strategy is typical of deep web marketplaces, where illicit services like carding, money laundering, and hacking are sold at rates far below market value. Unfortunately, in this case, the too-good-to-be-true deal turned out to be a scam, as is common with these kinds of risky transactions on underground marketplaces.
Terminology and Buyer Protection Issues
Several key terms from the original report are worth defining for clarity. A “PayPal transfer” in this context refers to an unauthorized or hacked transfer of funds using compromised PayPal accounts, an illegal practice commonly sold on dark web marketplaces. The term “Vendor” refers to sellers on DeepMarket who provide products or services like money transfers, carding (use of stolen credit cards), and counterfeits. “Support” refers to the marketplace’s customer service, which is supposed to mediate disputes between buyers and vendors, especially in cases where buyer protection is promised. Unfortunately, as reported, neither the vendor nor the support team responded to the buyer’s complaints. The promise of “Buyer Protection” mentioned on the DeepMarket homepage, which claims to protect buyers “from click to delivery,” was evidently not enforced in this case, leading to a loss for the buyer and eroding trust in the marketplace’s escrow system. Escrow typically holds payments until the buyer confirms the receipt of goods or services, but in this case, it appears the vendor may have bypassed this safeguard, possibly through vendor fraud or mismanagement by the platform’s operators.
This scam report serves as a warning to others engaging in deep web transactions, especially in high-risk categories like money transfers. Although platforms like DeepMarket boast of buyer protection and secure multisig escrow systems, these features often fail to function properly, leaving buyers vulnerable.
