One of the dangers that exist both on the Surface Web and the Dark Web are scams.

Scams on the Dark Web are many and varied. Scams on Dark Web markets are common, as are ones performed by independent sellers

I'll talk about some of these in this chapter.

But one of the dangers are index sites, such as the Hidden Wiki. It's a site, founded in 20111, that lists links to Dark Web sites. It went down in 2013, but it was cloned and still works.

Although most of the links are valid (people pay money to list their Dark Web site there), there are sites which are posted there for the sole purpose of scamming people, and stealing their money.

Never, ever provide or write your debit or credit card numbers while on Dark Web sites. Never provide your true personal information. Since there's no real way of verifying someone's identity on the Dark Web, it's safer to hide your own.

That's part of anonymity and being anonymous

 The following screenshot is of the Hidden Wiki:

After being on the Dark Web for a while, you'll probably get a feel for the bad and illegal sites. That doesn't mean that you should let your guard down. Even on legitimate sites, the content you can view there can sometimes be unnerving.

Horrible videos, various types of services, and products from the disgusting to the perverse, can be found. Be careful if you have a weak stomach or are sensitive. Don't just click links. Try to read up about the site you want to access.

Also, many links can lead to malicious sites

And as a parent myself—don't let your children have free access to the Dark Web.

On the other hand, if you're looking to hire an assassin, you're probably out of luck. Most of those sites that advertise murder-for-hire services are fake.

Hitmen don't offer their services in such an overt manner. You can communicate with them on the Dark Web, but you can't just look them up.

These sites either run by law enforcement agencies, to capture people planning murder, or by scammers who demand between 15,000-25,000  US dollars, receive the money and vanish, or blackmail the person who paid them.

The market for fake IDs, social security numbers, credit cards, and other fake credentials is massive.

But not all of them are legit. Some of them are provided by scammers, who deliver bogus fake IDs, which crumble, even under the lightest scrutiny.

One of the problems are that the sites that offer these fake credentials, look professional, and feel legitimate. We've been conditioned to view sleek-looking sites as professional and proper. But in some situations, they can be malicious.

The following is a screenshot from a website that sells fake IDs:

Here is another website that sells fake IDs online:

People have had their PayPal accounts stolen on sites like these, thinking that using PayPal would somehow be safer. You should find sites where trusted vendors sell. They should be multisig, for starters.

Another example of a scam, was during the Trump election. A Dark Web site was created, proclaiming that for enough money, they would assassinate President-elect Trump. Bitcoin was accepted for the fundraiser, but since the site was shut down, the exact amount of money collected is unknown. Naturally, nothing happened, but the admins took advantage of the wave of negativity toward President Trump during the elections.

Another scam was performed by Evolution Marketplace. Their admins scammed the users. They stole over 12 million dollars in Bitcoin and disappeared.

The following screenshot is from Evolution Marketplace:

The DeepDotWeb website lists several market sites which are supposedly legitimate (even proper sites can have problematic links), as can be seen in the following screenshot:

The Dark Web News website compiled a list of trusted vendor markets, according to their reputation.

You can see part of the list here:

Also, they prepared a comparison between these sites, as shown in the following screenshot:

I'm providing it as an example and to discuss what you should look for when looking for a legitimate Dark Web market. I'm not endorsing or confirming the list or the comparison. The reason is that I haven't tried all of the sites.