all right.
in this video, i wanted to talk about some common scams and fraud tactics that you might run across when it comes to darknet markets.
it's very important to be aware of these, especially when using pretty much anything on the dark web, but especially marketplaces.
marketplaces are incredibly volatile.
they're up and down.
and there is a lot of scammers out there trying to lure people into fake sites and all sorts of things.
so let's explore some of these scams and fraud tactics.
so you're aware, so you can protect yourself on the dark net.
the most important thing to be aware of is fake sites or phishing sites.
people will make lookalike websites with very similar onion urls that look close to what you're wanting to go to, but are not.
they are phishing.
they could be run by government or law enforcement or just other people looking to take your money and you will never get anything you purchase correctly.
so be sure to watch out for any fake links.
do not accept links from chats or forums.
go directly to the source.
if you can look them up on dread to validate the link, you're going to always check the pgp signatures, import the signatures and validate the site.
do all of the right things to ensure you're avoiding those fake sites.
it's also important to watch out for exit scams.
sometimes these markets run away with everyone's money.
so if there's any sudden change in the terms of the site, if there's large deposit requirements, all of a sudden and wider community warnings, people talking about it, be careful, watch out for that.
there is sometimes sellers that'll put escrow pressure on you.
these are sellers who may ask you to release the funds early from escrow, even though you haven't received what you purchased.
always look out for that.
always use official escrow and always follow the proper process.
don't ever release funds early, unless you're sure you're ready to do so.
and counterfeit goods.
some vendors do just sell bad stuff.
so be sure you're checking the vendor feedback.
be sure to look for valid reviews and watch out for anything that looks like it might be fake or botted.
be sure to help contribute to the community by reporting vendors if there's issues or adding your own reviews to vendors so you can help ensure building trust and community within darknet markets.
if you're an active user, it's really important to submit your own reviews so that you're getting that information out there so people can know if it can be trusted or not.
it's important to be careful out there on the darknet, but if you're doing the proper things and just keeping your head on a swivel, you should be safe and good to go.
if you have any questions on this or know of any scams or fraud i didn't cover, definitely let me know and we'll cover it.
otherwise, i'll see you in the next one.