Evolution (marketplace)

Evolution
Web address http://k5zq47j6wd3wdvjq.onion[1]
Commercial? Yes
Type of site
 Online market
Registration Required
Available in English
Owner Verto
Launched January 2014
Current status Offline

Evolution was an online black market operating on the Tor network. Launched January 14, 2014, it saw rapid growth within its first several months, helped in part by law enforcement seizures of some of its competitors during the six-month-long investigation codenamed Operation Onymous.[2] Wired estimates that as of October 11 it is one of the two largest drug markets.[3][4] It is notable for its security[5] as well as more lax rules on stolen credit cards and others kinds of fraud than similar sites like Silk Road.[4][6] Speaking about why Evolution was not part of Operation Onymous, head of European police cybercrimes division said it was "because there's only so much we can do on one day."[7]

Evolution shut down on March 18, 2015 in an apparent "exit scam," in which the site's administrators shut down their market abruptly in order to steal the money kept in users' escrow accounts.[8] The Bitcoins in escrow that were apparently stolen were valued at $12 million at the time of the shutdown.[9][10]

References

  1. ↑ "Evolution Marketplace - Deep Dot Web". Deep Dot Web. Retrieved 2015-02-07.
  2. ↑ James Cook (7 November 2014). "More Details Emerge Of How Police Shut Down Over 400 Deep Web Marketplaces As Part Of 'Operation Onymous'". UK Business Insider. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  3. ↑ Greenberg, Andy (6 November 2014). "Not Just Silk Road 2: Feds Seize Two Other Drug Markets and Counting". Wired.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Greenberg, Andy (18 September 2014). "The Dark Web Gets Darker With Rise of the 'Evolution' Drug Market". Wired.
  5. ↑ Glance, David. "Despite Darknet drug market arrests and seizures, can they be stopped?". The Conversation.
  6. ↑ McCluskey, Brent (23 September 2014). "Evolution Replaces Silk Road as New Online Drug Market". The Fix.
  7. ↑ "Raids on underground 'Darknet' websites". DW. 7 November 2014.
  8. ↑ "Evolution Marketplace and Official Forum Go Dark in Apparent Exit Scam". Darknet Markets. 2015-03-18. Retrieved 2015-03-18.
  9. ↑ Krebs, Brian (2015-03-18). "Dark Web’s ‘Evolution Market’ Vanishes". Krebs on Security. Retrieved 2015-03-18.
  10. ↑ Woolf, Nicky (2015-03-18). "Bitcoin 'exit scam': deep-web market operators disappear with $12m". The Guardian. Retrieved 2015-03-18.