Silk Road

Silk Road is a dark web marketplace that was notorious for The hidden wiki selling illegal drugs, weapons and other illicit goods. It was one of the biggest sites on the dark web, with a peak in sales of $1 billion. During the site's two-year existence, it processed orders worth approximately half a million dollars a month. The marketplace was accessible via an anonymizing network called Tor.

In 2013, the FBI arrested Ross Ulbricht, the operator of Silk Road, and charged him with computer hacking and money laundering. He was also accused of trafficking narcotics and child pornography.

When the site first opened in 2011, Silk Road was the best-known, and most popular, dark web marketplace. Unlike the vast majority of the other marketplaces on the internet, which are hosted by commercial entities, Silk Road was run by a pseudonymous individual who was dubbed "Dread Pirate Roberts." Although the name may have been misleading, the site had an abundance of other features to offer. Among other things, it was able to provide users with information about forged documents, hit men and other criminals, including photographs of their identities.

In addition to the drug market, Silk Road also offered the user the ability to purchase firearms and hacking tools. At one point, the site featured fireworks. There was even a section where the user could hire a hit man to kill someone.

Ulbricht allegedly made millions on every transaction. A young man in Australia jumped out of his window after buying drugs from the site. Other users were accused of hiring hitmen to kill people who threatened to reveal the truth about Silk Road.

Silk Road also provided a means of exchange, with the use of a virtual currency known as Bitcoin. Bitcoin was a new and nascent technology when the site was active, but it proved to be an effective means of anonymous transactions.

When the site closed, Silk Road was processing around $300,000 of illegal drugs a day. In addition to these products, it also sold guns, counterfeit cash and forged IDs.

Before the shutdown, Silk Road was the largest anonymous black market on the Internet, and was used by dealers from across the globe to sell illicit substances and goods. However, as the Internet grew and matured, the site's reputation began to tarnish.

One of the first signs of the site's vulnerability was when an IRS investigator discovered that Ulbricht had requested assistance in building the site. This was the beginning of the FBI's nearly year-long investigation.

By the end of 2013, the site had been shut down by the FBI, and Ulbricht was behind bars. He was found guilty of a number of charges, including computer hacking and money laundering. His sentencing came on the heels of a successful trial in New York.

The Silk Road case is a prime example of how the digital world provides opportunities for a wide range of criminals. Whether you're a gang member, a cybercriminal, or a public defender, the ability to access the dark web makes it easier to commit crimes.

Besa Mafia

Besa Mafia is a dark web website which allows users to hire a hitman. Users pay through escrow with bitcoin. When the job is completed, the funds are released. The site is said to be an online marketplace for contract killings, sex trafficking and other violent activities. It also advertises services on the Deep Web. But it's been revealed that it's a scam.

The site was run by Albanian gangsters. Their propaganda campaign on the internet made it seem like a legitimate business. While some customers have left positive reviews, many have been scared off and even cheated. Some alleged hitmen have been arrested. Monteiro uncovered nine cases, including a man in Minnesota who killed his wife after his hitman didn't turn up.

Besa Mafia is reportedly profitable. One user who paid for a hit paid $5,500 in bitcoin. Another customer requested a refund. Other customers kept paying for months. Yura, the owner, took all of the money. He then threatened to expose Monteiro as a police officer.

Eventually, a person claiming to be Toonbib contacted Monteiro, and he exchanged messages with a person who claimed to be a "mafia capo." According to Monteiro, he had to provide a photo of his target from his high school yearbook. This picture showed a man in a suit. Eventually, he sent the address of an Indiana military base. Njoroge was supposed to stay there for a few days.

Despite his warning signs, Monteiro remained a target. In the four months since his first visit, the site had hacked twice. On the third hack, a person calling himself "Operable" hacked into the site. During the investigation, he gathered a trove of information about the site, including the names of its most wanted users.

Among the hacked data were screenshots of orders taken on the site, and the names and contact details of the admins. Also, there were messages between users and the admins. These messages included instructions to make a video and mutilation requests. A document with a list of hacks was also retrieved.

As the site was hacked, it became clear that it was a scam. Although the operators made excuses for their lack of action, Monteiro found a way to gather intelligence from the site.

Throughout his investigation, Monteiro discovered several warning signs. For example, he found messages indicating that the operators were not really seeking to kill. And he also discovered that the site was backdoored. Several administrators instructed prospective hitmen to film a video. They also told them to set cars on fire. At the end of the day, Monteiro concluded that the site was a scam.

Luckily, Monteiro has been able to collect a trove of information about the site, and has shared his findings with the media. Having been in touch with several media organizations and working with 48 Hours, Monteiro has been able to collect enough evidence that led to the arrest of a number of people who had paid for hits through the site.

Investigators have also seized numerous records related to the fraudulent websites. According to the FBI, some of the information collected by Monteiro was in a wikified format. There was also a list of hacked accounts, and a list of dumps.