Using Your Street Smarts on the Deep Web

*Taken from user Boogie on AlphaBay

During my years on TOR, I have seen countless scam attempts and many sad faces of those who were ripped off. Let's face it. Here in the deep web, scammers will always exist, plain and simple. no matter how hard we all try to bust them down, their presence will always remain. You will find them on forums, their own websites, and throughout all major and established dark markets. Now that we all have accepted this sad issue, let's discuss the many methods to help prevent you from falling into this trap.

First and foremost, the number one rule when doing business on the deep web is to always trust your instinct. I'm sure all of you heard this old saying before: if it's too good to be true, it probably is. I know it's very cliche, but it still holds a lot of merit. Most scam victims fail to follow this quote and go with their impulses instead. They see a product or deal at a astounding price, that they don't think of anything else but having the items in their hands. It's like being hypnotized in a sense. Don't worry, I'm not talking down on anyone. It's human nature to follow with impulses. Just remember that next time you see an amazing deal, think it through and see if this can be realistic.

Now that we covered the golden rule. I'm now going to discuss the different types of scam methods that are present thought the deep web. Please post if I left anything out or if you have any questions or comments.

The Hidden Wiki (THW)

THW is probably one of the oldest sites still in existance on TOR. It is more then likely one of the first sites many people new to TOR visit. It can be quite an amazing discovery seeing all the differnt businesses selling drugs, weapons, fraud items, stolen electronics, etc. For a lack of words, it's really awesome to see that you now have access to pretty much anything you want when you didn't prior to setting up TOR.

Now the problem here is that THW can be moderated by pretty much anyone who has registered an account. Some of the nefarious Hidden Wiki staff are very aware of the many new comers to th deep web. This is why it is safe to that just about every commercial site on THW are scams. Plan and simple. Even legitimate and well known markets featured on THW are more then likely phishing sites set up to steal your account information.

Long story short, AVOID the hidden wiki when searching for market links.

Example of Phishing site for SR 2.0 (DO NOT LOGIN!): http://e5wvymnx6bx5euvy.onion/ -best way to tell is that the URL is obviously the wrong one.

If you need a link to a market site, visit the subreddit DarkNetMarkets (http://www.reddit.com/r/DarkNetMarkets/) or the Deep Dot Web (http://www.deepdotweb.com/). These sites provide legitimate market links that are never altered. If anyone knows of any other sites new comers can use to find legit links, please toss them up.

Non-Market Commercial Sites

Just like the ones listed on THW, pretty much all of the small sites that sell products and services are all pretty much scams. The only exception are sites that operated by established market vendors who are well-recognized and can be verified with their PGP. If anyone needs help verifying someones PGP, you are more then welcome to message me and I'll be glad to help. Plus, there are a few sites that catalog vendor PGPs and offer verification as well. I'll show you some examples of sites and how to tell the are rippers.

Green Notes Counter: http://67yjqewxrd2ewbtp.onion/

Here is a site that sells counterfeit money. Sadly they do not accept escrow and give the typical scammer reason that they do not trust escrow sites. But for some ill-logic reason, it's okay to trust them. Lol -yeah right.

Double Your BTC: http://jmkxdr4djc3cpsei.onion/

Here is a site that "promises" to return to you the double amount of BTC you send them. Let's think about this, who on earth will give you free money? No one that's who. If they have such a wonderful method on doubling bitcoin, then why would they share it and not just keep it themselves to get rich? Well, actually they do have a method for getting rich, it's by stealing others coin.

Carder's Paradise: http://cardsv4kovqmjr37.onion/

Oh wow! a site that sells cloned debit cards with a pin# so that you can just easily walk to any ATM and cash it out. Just like with the double your btc service, who in their right mind would give away free money? Why couldn't they just keep the cards and cash them out themselves? These are the question you have to ask and the true simple answer is that they don't have any cards. They just want your coin and bolt.

People's Drug Store: http://newpdsuslmzqazvr.onion/

Just another rip-off site that offers no escrow protection and just wants steal from you. same with the other mentioned sites, they state that once payment is received, they will mail you the shipping information. I hate to say it but you will be waiting a long time for that info. IMPORTANT: Keep and eye out with other sites using the same format. They are hosted by a pseudo-organization called TorShops. Avoid all of their sites at all costs!

iPhones for 50%: http://iphoneavzhwkqmap.onion/

I'm just gonna say it, all of these electronic stores are scams. Never have I seen a legit ones. Either they feed you a line of shit on why they don't escrow and there are ones that offer a fake "escrow" service. The sites with "escrow accepted" will usually send you a link to a site you probably never heard of and ask you do depoist money and simply release it when you get your item. Sadly, the electronic site most likely owns that escrow site and will just take the btc and avoid your emails.

I won't go into a lot of detail but the self-operated sites that sell guns and offer hitman services. They are all scams plain and simple. The solution is to just stick to the established markets and use their escrow system. Remember, escrow is the main line of defense that protects you from losing your coin. Always use it.

Scammers on Commercial Markets

This section will cover how to spot and deal with rippers that use established markets to host their scam. Some of them demand FE on everything, others will appear to have outstanding feedback, and there are even some that offer escrow too. Crazy, I know. So here are the ways to spot them and some tactics they use to steal your coins.

The first and easy ones to spot are the brand new vendors to a site with no reputation and off the bat request FE. They either sell a great variety of different products (red flag) at great price hoping to grab as many customers as possible. Or, they have a few big and expensive products and wait until someone takes the bait. when you spot these people, question them on why they don't accept escrow. The most common replies scammers give are "they don't trust escrow" or "BTC is too unpredictable". Whatever excuse they give you, just walk away. I know, that's a killer deal they offer, but wouldn't you rather be at peace of mind? There are plenty of legit vendors that accept escrow. Don't risk it and go with them. I forgot to mention, always check their feedback and the forums to find any reviews the vendor may have. This will give you better assurance whether or not to deal with the vendor.

A lot of the time. you will find scammers with amazing feedback. How could this be? Well, they use the tactic called feedback stacking. This is when a scammer registers numerous buyer accounts and buy from themselves and leave amazing feedback. Here is what to look for when spotting padded feedback: numerous complete orders on the same day, price is extremely low or item was deleted, same username or same comments are used over and over again.

Example: if you have Pandora, login and check out this seller's profile (Note: this is not an attack on Pandora, it was just an example I found. These are found on every market. Sorry Pandora)

http://pandorajodqp5zrr.onion/profile/c ... 348bbb5d05

Scroll all the way down and look at the feedback (long way down. seller's way of hiding it). Loot at that. This is probably the most obvious padded feedback ever seen. Some are more clever then that, but they always slip up by showing a pattern. You'll notice it when you come across it.

When you order from a vendor and the item is in escrow, make sure you note the shipping time. A lot of rippers will set a short shipping time hoping that you won't notice so that the order will auto-finalize. Just remember when funds are released whether after FE'ing or the order auto-finalized, the first thing that vendor will do is quickly withdraw the coin to their wallet. It is now out of the staff's hands to recover your money.

One final note, be careful when posting in the wanted or buyer request section of a market's forum. This is where a lot of rip offs occur. You may get plenty of PMs from people who aren't even a vendor saying they can help you out. Just remember to tell them HELL NO and wait for a verified vendor to reply. Because you know what's gonna if you decide to follow through with that PM offer.

Well this is what I got so far. Pretty long-winded I know. Please feel free to ask question or toss in any extra info I forgot to discuss. Stay safe out there everyone and remember that golden rule: if it's too good to be true, it probably is =)

Update

Here are two awesome sites to use at your disposal.

Google (yes, google): http://www.google.com/imghp - This can be used for reverse image searching. I have caught tons of scammers this way. Copy their posting and upload the picture. You will find where they stole the image they are claiming is their product.

Foto forensics: http://fotoforensics.com/ - scans the metadata and does a error level analysis. Perfect for finding out if they photo shopped that piece of paper with their signature and date on it. Hilarious when you see their reaction when you call them out on it =P

I'll post more when I think of them. Plus - always post any tips of your own too.

Extra Updates

Added by: stickchewer

Aye, that's spot on, and a fair bit more polite and indepth than my normal "don't FE you bloody morons". Can I just add, Don't FE, you bloody morons. Thankyou.

Added by: sorrybouthatsport

I'll add that people should beware of hyper rare substances/items especially discontinued/sparingly perscribed pills, USP powders. Mescaline is not that unrealistic, but someone is advertising the fabled Diconal? Sufentana too?! Google will help clear up that sort of horseshit right away.

Safely Delivering Packages

*Taken from the AlphaBay forums. Orignally posted by Boogie*
 http://pwoah7foa6au2pul.onion/forum/index.php?threads/safely-delivering-packages-kitt3n.2564/

"For some time now I have been trying to draw attention in forums to improved shipping and stealth standards that if used correctly actually BEAT canine detection, yes that's right dog proof!

Well I hear you say, surely if there is a CHEAP and EASY option then why are not all vendors using these methods and you know what I cannot fathom why they are not either.

>>> WAKE UP CALL --- FOOD GRADE PE VAC SEALING IS VAPOR PERMEABLE AND DETECTABLE IN FIFTEEN MINUTES <<<

Even triple sealing permeates in a few days so clearly when shipping to countries like Australia when items can be in transit for anything up to 20+ days vendors need to up their game and improve their standards.

So what is the answer?

All you need to know are:

* MBB - moisture barrier bags
* Mylar bags
* Heat seal foil bags

Some sources for these products I have found previously posted by vendor FarmerBob are listed below (CLEAR NET):

http://www.qsource.com/s-40-3m-scc-dri- ... -bags.aspx (large bags $100 - 100 pack) You can cut/seal 2 or three small bags from each large bag.

http://www.qsource.com/s-39-3m-scc-dri- ... -bags.aspx (the 3.6 mil bags are OK, cheaper, smaller, $13 per hundred)

Alternate suppliers:
http://www.moisturebarrierbags.com/index.html
http://texastechnologies.com/moisture-c ... d-3000.htm

It has also been brought to my attention that caution should be exercised when sourcing these materials to ensure the sale cannot be traced back to you.

A non permeable layer must be included, for example when shipping small quantities of powders the layering can consist of a few variations, it may be a good idea to dispense with the zip lock baggy as the zip can be felt through the envelope. The use of double MBB cleaning each thoroughly with isotropic alcohol to remove any particle traces is one very effective method. The final stage must of course be done in a clean environment to avoid transferring any particle residue to the outer packaging, wear gloves and discard before completing this stage.

The best stealth is sometimes the simplest, envelopes must be as flat as possible with all the usual norms that make them blend into the thousands of others going through the system. If an envelope is singled out for extra attention it's gone, that usually only happens when a dog reacts to it.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

HOW IS MAIL SORTED

When planning your packaging, take into consideration this procedure which is not specific to a particular country (only applies for letters not parcels) -

1. Mail arrives into said country in a big sack containing hundreds/thousands of letters.

2. If arriving from a "flagged" country it's directed to sorting area A in which mail undergoes extra scrutiny, if from non-flagged country it's directed to sorting area B for normal manual sorting.

3. At the designated sorting area, all the mail is poured onto a sorting tray and manually sorted, with the sorter removing anything that's oversize, damaged or suspicious looking (again there would be guidelines the sorters follow based on profiling and gathered intelligence). Over-sized items are sent to the parcel area, damaged items are repaired or destroyed and suspicious letters are inspected further (manual, x-ray or dog)

4. Once manual sorting is done, the mail is sent down a conveyor belt to the automatic sorting machine, while going down the conveyor belt, a drug detection dog runs over all mail heading down and alerts to letters containing whatever the dog is trained to find, these are in turn removed for further inspection (manual or x-ray) the rest carry on to the machine and are sent for distribution around the country.

5. Any mail that can't be automatically sorted for distribution (usually due to addresses in the wrong format, hand written messily, too thick to fit etc) are manually sorted again.

So using the above information, one case see that the risk areas are - the country of origin, the initial manual sorter, the drug detection dog and the final automatic sorting machine.

Country of Origin - The intelligence on which particular countries the receiving country has "flagged' isn't made publicly available but one could assume they include - The Netherlands, Belgium, Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, China, Vietnam, Thailand among others. As well as countries added based on intelligence received and profiling.

Initial Mail Sorter - Has to manually sort hundreds of letters at once, so make sure your letter doesn't attract a second glimpse. Ensure you use a high quality envelope, not a cheap one that's thin and soft and likely to tear. Ensure it looks harmless and boring from the outside, and ensure it's as thin as possible and packaged so the contents cannot be felt if handled and so that if handled, it feels like paper inside, not a foil bag!

Drug detection dog - USE MOISTURE BARRIER BAGS! PE and Foil layered are the best, followed by PE and Mylar. You should be doing your packaging in a clean environment because if any molecules from your product end up on the outside of that bag or on the envelope, you've wasted your time and it will be detected.

Final Automatic Sorting Machine - Make sure the address is clearly readable and in the correct format for that country. Make sure your envelope is of a standard size. (see the first post of this thread for standard envelope sizes)

Use the above information and create your letters how you wish, if you still get any no-shows to a particular country, change what your letters look like because your current ones have been photographed and added to a database. This includes the return address and any identifiable logos etc.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

HOW TO ENSURE YOUR MAIL GOES THROUGH THE SORTING MACHINES WITHOUT NEEDING TO BE SORTED MANUALLY BY ONE OF THOSE PESKY HUMANS (AU SPECIFIC)

The info below is taken from the Australia Post guidelines for international mail, and they're based around the specs required for mail to go into the auto sorter machines, if a letter falls outside of these guidelines, there's a much bigger chance it will end up being manually sorted by a person. (when you receive a letter than doesn't have one of those faint orange barcodes on it, it means its been manually sorted. This doesn't apply to bulk mail that big companies send out to 1000's of people though)

Recommended Envelope Sizes and Max Weight and thickness -

Small Letter -
DL 110 mm × 220 mm 125g max
C6 114 mm × 162 mm 125g max

No more than 5mm thick

Large Letter -
C5 162 mm × 229 mm 125g max
C4 324 mm × 229 mm 250g max
B4 353 mm × 250 mm 250g max

No more than 20mm thick

Envelope Quality - White 100gsm Paper

Address Font - Courier or Helvetica Font - 12 point or 10 pitch
It should contain no full stops or commas or other punctuation. You can use '/' but it's recommended not to.
There should be no advertising/logos etc near the address.
The street number should be 2 spaces away from the unit/suite number
The suburb and country should be in capitals
The post code should be 2 spaces away from the state
Characters should be between 2mm & 4mm tall
and between 0.3mm & 7mm wide
The space between lines from 1mm to 2.5mm

Address example -

John Smith
Suite 10 52 Silk Road
PORT HEADLAND WA 3001
AUSTRALIA

Some of these things are going to the extreme and probably not necessary, besides, the huge majority of orders make it without any issues anyway but if you want perfection, this is where it's at.

Guideline books (see these for the correct address layouts and where stamps, addresses and logos etc should/shouldn't be placed. -

http://auspost.com.au/media/documents/l ... -guide.pdf
http://auspost.com.au/media/documents/i ... -guide.pdf

Educational video about the mail process (clearnet) -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WumR2qpqP8"

Security tips - Stay anonymous

The Darknet welcomes both experienced and new buyers and sellers. Advanced members are already familiar with the basic security rules, but I'll give a few tips to newbie buyers to avoid seeing the police knock at your door.

1) Never use an username that you use on the clearnet! Google is one of the places where LE looks to find you. If we can find you (or a site you accessed from your home IP) when googling for your username, you're in for some trouble. You can also use an existing clearnet username that doesn't belong to you, but I advise against that, as you can get innocent people in trouble.

2) Never order anything physical to your home address, nor friend / parents / etc. Just drive around and find a location to ship, also called a "drop".

3) Never brag about your stuff! You might buy some cards, card some stuff, and make money, but keep this for yourself! People will offer you bribes to avoid reporting you to LE. This will happen.

4) Tumble your bitcoins. Use bitcoin mixing services when cashing out or depositing here. I will not vouch for a service in particular for transparency reasons, but you will find many links on the forum.

5) Don't leave your computer open with fraud-related stuff when you leave the house. Encrypt everything using VeraCrypt. Never use any encryption software that is not open source!

6) Leave fake tracks for LE officers. For example:
- If you're Belgian, pretend to ship drugs from Germany, but instead, simply partner up with someone from Germany to ship them for you. I did that several times on Evo, and I got 3 PMs asking for some BTC in exchange for doxing me in public. The 3 people found different identities matching me, unfortunately, they just fell in the trap. On top of that, it was 3 different countries.
- Participate in forums in other languages. If your primary language is English, learn a few German or Spanish sentences, and post some. Usually a language that you never use in real life.
- Be careful about that.

7) Never whine about DNM things on any legit site. If penissmith made a troll post that pissed you off, don't write "people are idiot" on Facebook.

8) If you're serious about security and do high-level trades, stay out of North America / Europe. Live in an offshore country. If you can't do that, be anywhere except USA.

9) It's never a bad idea to DBAN drives of previous computers. You never know what evidence may lay there, long forgotten, until LE finds it.

10) Always PGP encrypt your address. If LE manages to find our servers and physically take the machine, there will be no evidence. And while we're at it, never host a .onion site in USA, never use a Tor bridge in USA, never register a domain with a company under USA juridiction. In fact, you should just move out of USA if you are there.

That's it for now, if anybody has more tips, just post them. I want to avoid buyers getting raided if a seller account gets compromised.