From this point of view, darks have also evolved. There is a market out there for forged documents, whether it comes to important passport and ID documents or less significant utility bills and bank statements. Understanding this market will help one make better decisions, whether it comes to registering a company abroad or starting an online wallet.The growth of this market is mostly possible because of the high level of anonymity – of course, certain standards and rules must be followed. There are lots of gaps in legislation as well, not to mention the absence of a proper tangible distance in the environment. Now, what else should you know about darks and what should you be aware of?
Understanding the so called onionland
The onionland is only a small part of the deep web, while the deep web is the part of the Internet that cannot be accessed through search engines. It is mostly used by companies and corporations for private databases, yet a small part of it is used with a completely different purpose. The so called onionland is the dark web, which can be accessed with certain browsers and requires a high level of anonymity.The primary goal of such software was to protect official and military communications. These days, the software is used to access a market where anyone can sell anything – including things that one might get in jail for if they tried to sell them in real life. The high level of anonymity is what makes this environment so appropriate for these activities.
What to find in the onionland
The dark web has anything you can think of, including sensitive information that anyone can find offensive, regardless of how tough you are. Some of the things you may run into – without even trying too hard – include child pornography, illegal marketplaces, drugs, banned research, weapons and so on. Sure, there are things that might be useful – such as scanned books, but there is lots of crime as well.Darks refer to dark documents, which are widely sold over the dark web. Such dark documents can come in all shapes and sizes, depending on the buyers' requirements. They can be based on specific countries or they can be done with particular requirements in mind. Their uses are just as diversified. Now, what else should you know about darks?
Understanding the concept of darks
Darks are illegal documents – simple as that. They come in more forms and they are usually sold per request, yet there is also a specific market where buyers can browse around and find something suitable. They are quite diversified and vary widely. For instance, you can find British passports for sale, American driver’s licenses, French IDs and so on, not to mention utility bills or bank statements.Darks are mostly used for online purposes. While the dark web has a specific market where people can meet and discuss face to face meetings to get the stuff they want – from guns to fake passports, many of these things are also sold and handled exclusively online for a higher level of anonymity, based on the buyers' necessities.
Becoming familiar with different types of darks
Darks can be split in more categories based on various criteria. For instance, there are more profiles out there. You could find darks as passports from most countries – usually, just scanned copies. Whether you need a passport for Egypt, Malta or Canada, chances are the dark web will have a bunch of sellers dealing with such things.Then, darks may also involve documents that are required for certain purposes – not actual IDs. Some users may require utility bills from other countries in order to start banking account – such as a German electricity bill or an American gas bill. Furthermore, bank statements are commonly sold too, as people may require them for offshore applications.
Darks can also be classified as real or fake. Fake darks represent forged documents. When it comes to a passport, it could have your own picture and any country you want. It could have a different date of birth maybe. It is up to the user's requirements. Whether the picture or other details must be changed, such documents are known as fake darks because they involve some forgery – the same goes for bills.
There are also real darks, which bring in a higher level of authenticity because they are actually real. These documents are found or stolen. Obviously, requirements are a bit lower because there are no changes – no fake pictures, specific locations or dates of birth. However, these documents are real and work smoothly for whatever they are used.
What darks are used for?
There is a constantly growing market for darks out there and while they are illegal and contraindicated, they keep gaining in popularity. Obviously, they are appealing to certain individuals or industries, but the risks associated with them are extremely high. Their uses are more diversified and may target more fields.For instance, darks are often used by immigrants trying to get a new identity in a different country. Imagine coming to a different country – you cannot open a bank account, find rent or perhaps a job without a dark. The lack of documents and various restrictions can seriously affect someone's capability to integrate into a new society.
Most commonly, darks are used in the offshore industry. Practically, they are useful for anything that involves an online application – not going there in person. Whether people need to scan documents or upload utility bills, darks are often used for a higher level of anonymity. Do they work? To a certain extent, but institutions are more agile than ever these days.
From this point of view, darks could be used to open bank accounts abroad – there is no need to get there in person. While some banks do not do it, many online wallet providers also ask for a selfie and this is when ID darks become useless. Things are smoother for other types of documents, such as bank statements or utility bills.
Darks may also be used for other business operations. For example, many countries – usually tax heavens – allow online applications. Using darks will add to the anonymity of the person behind the business, which is handy if the business is shady or tries to avoid tax. If there is any trouble, the identity is fake and the respective individual cannot be found.
Sure, a well-established online company does not require such things. You can reduce your taxes or diversify your assets in a transparent manner, without having to rely on darks. While darks can save money or protect the identity, they also come with a series of risks that may compromise the business, so they are not really recommended.
Bottom line, darks represent fake documents, whether they are forged or stolen from their real owners. They are most commonly used to abuse the legal system and trick banks and other institutions for personal purposes and various benefits. They are mostly used by professionals with years of experience, but sooner or later, they may still compromise everything, so they are not recommended.
Risks associated with using darks
Darks are illegal and most commonly used to trick various institutions – mostly financial institutions. Since they imply using fake documents, they are illegal pretty much everywhere in the world. However, their popularity has skyrocketed lately. Since more and more institutions deal with fake documents, security standards have been seriously increased over the past few years.While quality darks – especially the real stolen ones – will still work here and there, random checks may cause a series of issues. For example, many online wallet providers ask for some extra verification. You might have to take a selfie holding the respective document, so your face must match the picture – plus, you require the physical dark and not just a scan.
Such checks are usually performed in the initial stage, during the verification. Those who get rejected will usually move on to the next provider. The same rule applies to banks. However, real issues occur when such checks occur out of nowhere, later on. You start trading and you get some money on your account, then you are asked for a deeper verification.
At this point, your funds will be blocked until you can verify the identity. You have already submitted the scan of a fake passport or utility bill. Whether you are asked for a selfie holding the document or scanned copies of other documents, this is when you might get stuck. Your funds are less likely to be unlocked, so it is simply not worth the risk.
This is probably the least significant problem in the process. If a bank can hold some funds or block the account, imagine how dramatic the situation could get if official authorities are asked for help. You may end up with an interdiction in the respective country or perhaps arrested for dealing with fake documents – a proper investigation may reveal your real identity if you have failed to stay fully anonymous since day one.
The dark web may provide access to all kinds of darks and other fake documents. Anyone can get in there with the right tools and that means law enforcement officials also hang around. You have no idea who you are talking to. Sure, full anonymity could be alright when dealing with scanned copies, but things can get messy if you see someone face to face to purchase the actual documents.
For instance, the Silk Road used to be one of the largest marketplaces for darks on the Internet. It was the first online black market and apart from drugs, it also brought together drug or gun dealers and buyers. While fully anonymous, the marketplace was shut and the owner – Ross Ulbricht – has been sentenced to life in prison.
Risks associated with darks can go even further. You have no idea what you are buying. You want a Cypriot passport or perhaps a British one. How do you know it is a good scan? How do you know it is a stolen document that was scanned later on? You might be able to tell the difference if you are holding a physical passport and analyze the differences, but other than that, you have no clues.
You might as well end up buying a poor quality scan that will get you nowhere. There are no refunds on the dark web, so hanging around the wrong people will most likely cause you to lose money. It might be easier to purchase a utility bill, but IDs and other official documents are difficult to forge with today's high security standards.
Apart from losing money and risking your freedom, there is a decent chance to lose time as well. You cannot just join the dark web and end up on an authentic dark marketplace. It takes some research to find the right links. Even if you manage to purchase your first bank, you may waste months moving from one bank or online wallet to another due to the consistent rejections.
Simply put, darks represent a major industry. But just like any other big industry, they also come with a bunch of risks. Like everything else that is illegal, they come with multiple dangers. Moreover, since it is a popular industry, it has obviously been invaded by scammers who try to take advantage of less experienced users.
Why people still use darks
Given the wide variety of risks associated with darks, you probably ask yourself – why do people still use darks? You have no idea who you are buying stuff from on the dark web and you got no clue whether or not those darks are authentic. People could send you anything, causing you to lose money and time. So, why is this industry so popular?To some people, darks might represent the only way to get around things. For example, some may need darks in order to start a new life, get a new identity, open a bank account and get things going. Of course, there is a risk, but they simply have no other options. Darks are quicker, less stressful and perhaps a little cheaper.
To others, it is all about convenience. Going online and finding an illegal passport is easier than moving to another country, spending five years in there and getting the passport – of course, requirements vary from one country to another, as some of them also allow buying a nationality. Purchasing the nationality will not come cheap though.
Then, there are people who find darks to work faster than getting real documents. It may take a while to get some utility bills if your landlord pays for everything – you would have to move out. It will take much longer to get a passport than purchasing it online. It may take years – and many expenses – to get a job done, so darks come in handy then.
Generally speaking, darks are mostly used for illegal purposes. Those who use darks are trying to cheat on the system. They are illegal, so there is a risk involved – the risk of losing your freedom. Illegal purposes vary from one individual or business to another. While the desire for anonymity is not illegal, some of its consequences can be.
For example, lots of people are trying to maintain their privacy for personal purposes. Some others do it to cover their illegal activities. Tax evasion is the most common reason behind the popularity of darks. While people using darks could get caught avoiding tax, having a fake identity can help them stay out of prison – yet, it may involve losing the money blocked in their accounts.
There is nothing wrong with privacy and anonymity for personal reasons, such as avoiding spam or identity theft. However, there are other ways to ensure you stay anonymous – with some limitations, indeed. Using darks is not one of them. It may work at first, but consequences can be disastrous in the long run.
How darks became so popular today
Given the advancement of technology, darks have become quite realistic and many of them are used to trick banks and other financial institutions while opening accounts or running businesses overseas. They look real, yet more and more banks rely on various techniques to catch fraudsters and one of them involves taking selfies with the actual documents.Back in the day, darks were not as advanced. The market is quite modern. However, they used to be authentic – real darks. There were not too many digital modifications to them. Instead, they were basically stolen documents that people sold online. Scans were authentic, yet the identity was wrong. The crime can also be referred to as identity theft.
Darks gained notoriety over the dark web as a direct consequence of borderless applications. These days, you can go abroad, gain multiple nationalities and run businesses in other countries without even being there. Obviously, the Internet and its evolution have seriously contributed to this growing trend – otherwise, none of these would be possible.
Whether illegal or legal, there is an online market for everything out there and darks make no exception either. There was a demand as soon as people gained the possibility to conduct work online, start businesses overseas or open bank accounts. It obviously became more and more popular until it drew the authorities' attention.
Law enforcement officials were not the only ones interested in this growing industry. Scammers from all over the world join the trend as well. While authorities may have more sophisticated systems to catch fraudsters, most people do not. Therefore, scammers found an easy market where no one can be tracked.
Final words
As a short final conclusion, there are more reasons wherefore darks are popular today. Some of them are well done or even real – stolen documents. They cost way less than original documents and they can be purchased within minutes, so they save lots of time too. They also provide access to a fake identity that can protect the user against the law – tax evasion, illegal activities and so on. But as useful as they seem to be, darks are still illegal. Small mistakes, a moment of inattention or dealing with the wrong person could get you in serious trouble – hefty fines and even prison.Darks gained notoriety along with the evolution of the Internet and the dark web. They became popular as multiple tax heavens opened up around the world. Business people are constantly trying to find ways to reduce taxes and diversify assets. Offshore businesses certainly represent a way forward, but they must be conducted the right way. Darks may represent the quick and apparently efficient option, but they come with numerous disadvantages that can ruin the business itself or the people involved with it, so we at OffshoreCorpTalk are not recommending at all.
There are, of course, crystal clear and transparent methods to conduct business online. There are also a few loopholes in every country's legal system – not to mention banking systems. There are ways to reduce taxes. There are various methods to diversify assets. Based on the country you choose for your offshore business, your data might become public or not. Authorities will always have access to it though, but there is nothing to be concerned about if you are not involved with illegal activities. Based on all these things, darks are not recommended and especially not to someone who is new to the dark web.
It doesn’t mean they’re not popular though. And while no one’s actually encouraging their use, they’re like anything else in this world. If they’re used for small things, they often go unnoticed. Problems may occur when it comes to millions though.
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