Dark-Web Marketplace
An illicit online market accessible only via anonymising software such as Tor, where stolen data, fraud tools, drugs, and cybercrime services are bought and sold.
Also known as: darknet market, dark web shop, carding forum, cybercrime market
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Dark-web marketplaces operate on networks — typically Tor or I2P — that conceal the IP addresses of both operators and users, making them difficult for law enforcement to shut down and trace. They function like conventional e-commerce platforms, complete with product listings, seller ratings, buyer reviews, and escrow payment systems — except the goods are illegal.
Common offerings include dumps of stolen payment-card data sold by the thousands, full identity packages ('fullz') containing name, address, date of birth, Social Security number, and financial credentials, login credentials for banking, streaming, and e-commerce services, phishing kits and malware-as-a-service subscriptions, and money-mule recruitment.
Dark-web markets are a key part of the fraud supply chain: data stolen through formjacking or breaches is sold here, purchased by fraud rings who monetise it, launder proceeds, and reinvest in new attack tools. Law enforcement regularly takes down individual marketplaces, but new ones emerge quickly.
Examples
- A batch of 50,000 stolen credit-card numbers harvested via formjacking is listed on a dark-web carding market for a few dollars each.
- Full identity packages — name, address, SSN, bank login, and email password — are sold as 'fullz' bundles for targeted fraud.