The dark web is a mysterious and often dangerous place. It’s full of scammers and criminal activity like the recent leak of Medibank data by a ransomware group, but it’s also home to many legitimate businesses. So, how can you tell the difference between a legitimate vendor and a scammer on the dark web? In this blog post, we’ll give you some tips on how to find legit vendors on the dark web.
1. Use a trusted search engine: When you’re searching for something on the internet, you typically use a search engine like Google, Bing, or Yahoo. However, when you’re searching for something on the dark web, you need to use a different kind of search engine. These are called “dark web search engines” and they only return results from .onion websites (which are only accessible through the Tor network). Some examples of dark web search engines include Torch, Not Evil, and Grams.
2. Check for vendor reviews: Once you’ve found a few potential vendors, it’s time to do your due diligence and check for reviews. There are several forums on the dark web where users can leave reviews for vendors. These can be helpful in determining whether or not a vendor is legitimate. Some examples of these forums include Darknet Markets List, Candle, Dread, and /r/DarkWeb_Links.
3. Be cautious of new vendors: When you’re considering doing business with a new vendor on the dark web, it’s important to be cautious. Newer vendors may not have established reputations yet, so it’s harder to know if they’re legitimate or not. If possible, try to stick with vendors who have been around for awhile and have good reviews.
4. Use escrow services: When making a purchase on the dark web, always use an escrow service. This will protect you in case the vendor tries to scam you or doesn’t deliver on their promise. Escrow services hold onto your money until you confirm that you’ve received what you paid for—at which point they release the funds to the vendor. Some examples of escrow services include bitify and Onion Escrow Service.
5. Be aware of red flags: There are certain red flags that should make you wary of doing business with a particular vendor. Some of these include no reviews, new accounts with few posts, anonymous accounts, promises that seem too good to be true, etc. If you see any of these red flags, it’s best to move on to another vendor.”
6. Use common sense: Finally, it’s important to use common sense when doing business on the dark web (or anywhere else for that matter). If something seems fishy or too good to be true, it probably is.”
Conclusion: The dark web can be a scary place but there are ways to protect yourself from scammers and criminals. By using a trusted search engine, checking for vendor reviews, using common sense, and being aware of red flags, you can increase your chances of finding legitimate vendors on the dark web.