Bitcards – TOR Scam Report (1)
Onion Link: http://bitcardshwnfg5ikvdgvwacotaxkiwbccrye6pbfjm7xckwl6mssq4ad.onion
Scam Report Date: 2024/09/09
Client Scam Report Breakdown
Original Report Summary:
In the submitted report, the client describes encountering a scam on a website that claims to be run by the original “Bitcards” team, a name with historical ties to the now-defunct Silk Road dark web marketplace. According to the user, the website appears legitimate at first glance, using the email address “bitcards@onionmail.org” to conduct business. The process begins with customers sending an order request, after which the website promptly responds with payment instructions, including a specific Bitcoin (BTC) wallet address. However, the client reports that once they followed through with payment, the scammers ceased all communication. Despite multiple follow-up attempts, the scam site refused to respond to emails regarding the original order, leaving the client unable to recover their funds or receive their purchase.
Photos:
The terminology used in the report is important for understanding how this particular scam operates. “Onionmail.org” is a domain often associated with services on the Tor network (The Onion Router), an anonymous online browsing system commonly used for privacy-focused communications and transactions. By claiming to be the “original Bitcards people from the Silk Road days,” the scam site appeals to users familiar with the infamous Silk Road marketplace, a platform once known for its illicit product offerings, including drugs, forged documents, and other illegal services. The use of Bitcoin (BTC) is significant, as cryptocurrency transactions are typically irreversible and pseudonymous, which means victims have little recourse in recovering funds once sent. The wallet address provided for payment is unique to each transaction and can be used to track payments on the Bitcoin blockchain, though this often does little to identify the scammers due to the obfuscation offered by cryptocurrency systems.
Further analysis of the scam indicates deliberate manipulation tactics by the fraudsters. The report highlights that when the client tried to contact the scammers using their original email after placing an order, they received no response. However, when the client posed as a new customer using a different email address, the scammers responded within an hour, providing the same payment information and BTC wallet address. This pattern suggests that the scam is structured to lure in new victims while avoiding accountability for previous fraudulent transactions. The screenshots provided, labeled “bc1.png to bc5.png,” serve as a chronological documentation of the email exchanges, reinforcing the client’s claims. These screenshots likely contain vital information that could help to substantiate the legitimacy of the report, should further investigation be warranted. This behavior, known as “selective scamming,” is a common technique used by fraudsters to maximize their intake from new victims while avoiding further interaction with those they’ve already defrauded.
