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One morning I logged on expecting my usual marketplace buzz—and found only a blank page. In the blink of an eye, a Bitcoin juggernaut had evaporated, along with millions of dollars in user funds.
Bitcoin-Fueled Darknet Marketplace Vanishes in Possible Exit Scam
Abacus Market, which once handled roughly 70% of Western Bitcoin-enabled darknet trade, went completely offline, taking its Monero wallet and user deposits with it. Analysts at TRM Labs report that both the site and its clearnet mirror disappeared without warning, a classic sign of an exit scam where operators shut down and vanish with customer balances.
Success Might Have Triggered the Shutdown
Ironically, Abacus’s peak popularity may have spelled its doom. After Europol shut down Archetyp Market in mid-June, Abacus saw its largest-ever monthly sales—over $6.3 million in June alone. Such prominence makes top-tier marketplaces prime targets, either for opportunistic admins or law enforcement hot on their trail.
Why Users Grew Suspicious
By late June, withdrawal requests began failing, even as the admin “Vito” blamed a sudden influx of users and a DDoS attack. Yet deposits plunged from about $230,000 a day to just $13,000 almost overnight. Long-time darknet traders recognised the pattern immediately—when a site can’t honour payouts, trust evaporates fast.
A Covert Law Enforcement Operation?
Some in the community whisper that authorities may have quietly seized the platform, gathering evidence before a public takedown. Similar tactics were observed with Nemesis Market, where official announcements lagged months behind the shutdown. Whether it’s a covert operation or a premeditated operator exit, one thing is clear: in the darknet ecosystem, fortunes and platforms can vanish without a trace.
