Buying Goods On The Dark Web Markets Needs Strong Attention

The darknet anonymity has backed up the websites hosted by the underground internet for the burgeoning of global criminal activities. The dark web has played a consistent host for all illicit purchases, from drugs and weapons to cybercrime. These activities keep on relying on the physically available infrastructure for economic feasibility.

However, the dark web had never been created for the proliferation of unlawful activities. This being said, it is illegal to barge into the darknet platforms that have been brought about for illegal reasons. However, this reality is not a standard thought across societies. The reason is that most people do not understand the associated risks that are thrown towards the dark web surfers.

The dark web websites and the tools offering online anonymity have given rise to a false sense of safety to all the dark web sites and deep web websites. Many people believe that the dark web or the tor-based websites are beyond the grip of the international and local law enforcement agencies. But the fact is that the global police use several techniques for identifying and convicting darknet vendors and buyers. They track each and everything right from the payment to monitoring the postal system. They also analyze the wealth of the user data that is gathered in the dark web take downs.

The upcoming segment will provide an insight on what you, as a dark web user, need to consider when you are visiting the darknet or the deep web to purchase illegal goods and services from various dark web marketplaces or darknet forums seeking help.

❂ The Postal Department Can Expose You

Interestingly, the exponential technological advances of the dark web have not yet provided liberty to the darknet users in terms of employing the postal system for the physical deliveries of the online ordered goods.

When a darknet user places an order from the dark web, say, a consignment containing drugs, they would require the services of a courier service for physically delivering the product to their location. Typically, the darknet drug dealers utilize meticulous packaging techniques for ensuring stealth as long as the parcels-for-shipment are concerned.

The prospective darknet buyers are bound to understand that the postal system is not a flawless method. The global customs officials have increased their awareness regarding the strategies and tactics used by the darknet dealers for concealing the packages. They are becoming more alert on how the sellers move their illegal products across the international and as well as the local borders.

As of the current situation, it seems as the offices and the post boxes have now become genuine surveillance grounds for the police departments looking forward to identifying the original faces behind the illegal dark web purchases. However, this reality is not just confined to the law enforcement agents as the post office employees are now particularly helpful in the origin identification and the contents of the intercepted parcels.

One prominent example, in this case, was the Silk Road vendor's arrested back in September 2012. The law enforcement agencies could identify the man behind the illegal drug trade following a lead provided by the post office employees to the feds.

❂ Dark Web Market Seizures Can Lead Feds To The Darknet Buyers

A series of anti-darknet law enforcement operations have paved the way to identification and the arrest of both the market operators and their dedicated buyers. They could be linked to the illicit activities that are facilitated by the underground platforms.
Generally, whenever a vendor has been busted, or a dark web market is taken down, the law enforcement authorities uncover a wealth of fresh leads, which would empower the practical capacities of their further investigations—for example, the notorious darknet vendor "Shiny Flakes" who had been arrested back in 2015. The investigators had discovered a list of customers that they had later used to track his dark web buyers.

Very importantly, the dark web users, especially the buyers, need to realize that the illegal purchases might take them into the deep dark in the near future. Like in 2016, a dark web buyer had been contacted by the feds after the law enforcement agencies had come across the buyer records that the dark web vendor had preserved with him.

❂ The Undercover Agents Lurk In The Darknet

If you are lucky enough not to get trapped in the traps, as mentioned earlier by the feds, there is nothing to believe that you would never have an encounter with the worst trap. The undercover agents regularly visit the darknet marketplaces solely to identify the illegal activities and the ones who facilitate them.

Like the regular police operations in the local and traditional context, the police departments or the federal agencies keep on deploying the undercover operations to capture the unsuspected illicit stuff buyers.

Back in 2017, a press release from Europol had offered a glance into the methods in which the undercover police operations might be used for dismantling the dark web networks. The press release also mentioned how they identify the users cloaking behind the anonymous veil and privacy.

As per the law enforcement agency, the undercover agents had used furtive means for taking over the then prominent market, Hansa Market. They had monitored the user activity without the knowledge of the owner(s). Furthermore, at the same time, the authorities had also closed AlphaBay darknet marketplace - another most famous underground market of that time. This action had seen the migration of the refugee AlphaBay buyers and the vendors in the Hansa marketplace. The authorities had taken the chance for conducting a sweep on the new entrants of the platform.

Darknet seems to be a pretty fascinating place and the users tend to rush without knowing what negative impact it might have on them if they are not that careful on the dark web. Various mishaps take place on the dark web as explained in this article. People need to be serious when they are on the hidden internet and trying to buy things from the dark web otherwise they might get scammed by malicious actors or caught by law enforcement authorities. This article aims to focus on all the aspects of the mishaps occurring on the dark web and the deep web and how they can avoid such occurrences.