The abrupt closure of Abacus Market highlights ongoing concerns over exit scams within the darknet ecosystem, exacerbated by law enforcement pressure and user withdrawal challenges.
Abacus Market, a leading Bitcoin-based darknet marketplace, has gone offline, suspected of executing an exit scam. TRM Labs reported that the platform's infrastructure became inaccessible in early July, coinciding with a sharp decline in user deposits from $230,000 to $13,000 daily. Following the closure of Archetyp Market, Abacus experienced a surge in activity, generating nearly $100 million in Bitcoin sales during its operation. Users faced withdrawal difficulties in late June, leading to fears that the operators vanished with funds.