Internet assassination

{{internet}}
Since the early days of the [[Deep Web]], various websites have arisen claiming to offer various assassination services. They fall into three sub-types with highly varying verifiability and prospective authenticity. Clearnet attempts are more hilarious and the media appears more sceptical in such areas. Whilst [[SWATing]] is a real thing, it appears internet based assassination is not.

==Dark web==
{{main|Deep web}}
===Individual sites===
[[File:Charity for Trump's assassination.png|right|thumb|Well, that never went anywhere.]]
The most notorious site is C'thulhu, which has been reported at face value by various media outlets.<ref>[http://www.darkreading.com/analytics/child-exploitation-and-assassins-for-hire-on-the-deep-web/d/d-id/1321011 The disturbing world of the Deep Web, where contract killers and drug dealers ply their trade on the internet]</ref> It advertises a variety of services, including [[rape]], "underage rape", maiming, bombing, crippling, and murder; it is apparently run by former member of the French Foreign Legion. It accepts {{wpl|Bitmessage}} contact only.

Another such site, 'Unfriendly Solutions', purports to be run by an individual with several years of experience as an assassin.<ref name="dailydot">[http://www.dailydot.com/crime/deep-web-murder-assassination-contract-killer/ Searching for a hitman in the Deep Web]</ref> In March 2013 ''Business Insider'' performed a roundup of other such individual sites including 'White Wolves Professionals', an unnamed site and C'thulhu<ref>[http://www.businessinsider.com/tor-assassins-and-hitmen-2013-3?op=1&IR=T How To Hire An Assassin On The Secret Internet For Criminals]</ref> which they got a bit of stick for.<ref>[http://www.businessinsider.com/why-we-published-instructions-on-hiring-a-hitman-2013-3?IR=T This Is Why We Published Instructions On How To Hire A Contract Killer]</ref> In February 2016 a site appears entitled the "Charity for [[Donald Trump]] Assassination".<ref>[http://tpkhqv2f7rfaqg6z.onion.link Charity for Donald Trump Assassination]</ref> As of that month, the Bitcoin address had precisely zero donations. Seven years later, and it had somehow gathered more than sixty inputs.<ref>[https://blockchain.info/address/1KbQWL2JURhSDQBediZwTbvyPQtWq4Mzod Bitcoin Address]</ref>

Whilst shocking descriptions of such services may make headlines, there is no evidence that these are anything more than scams to take people's [[Bitcoin]]s.

===Market sites===
The booming success of {{wpl|Darknet market|darknet drug markets}} in the model of the {{wpl|Silk Road (marketplace)|Silk Road}} has began to grow confidence in a 'bazaar' type model, with much of the English speaking {{wpl|Carding (fraud)|carding}} scene moving into markets such as {{wpl|AlphaBay||.}}<ref>{{cite news|title=Interview With AlphaBay Market Admin|url=https://www.deepdotweb.com/2015/04/20/interview-with-alphabay-admin/|date=20 April 2015|accessdate=21 August 2015|first=Joshua|last=G}}</ref>

Possibly seeking to capitalise on such confidence, 'Hitman Network' follows a similar such model apparently allowing individual assassins to list their services and receive feedback accordingly.<ref name="dailydot" />

Interestingly, several real darknet markets explicitly state 'no assassination services'.

In the absence of an affordable service to bootstrap and viable reputation/feedback loop, such sites are believed to be entirely scams.<ref>[http://allthingsvice.com/2012/08/03/conversation-with-a-hitman-or-not/ Conversation with a hitman (or not)]</ref> No, not even if you accept multi-sig payment.<ref>[http://pirate.london/2016/03/reputable-assassination-service-outs-pirate-london-as-law-enforcement-operation/ Reputable assassination service outs pirate.london as law enforcement operation!]</ref>

===Prediction sites===
Possibly the most intriguing model is the {{wpl|Assassination market}} model as first proposed by crypto-[[anarchist]] {{wpl|Jim Bell}} in his 1995 essay 'Assassination Politics'. He argued an ever-present threat of assassination could encourage accountability among [[politicians]] and lawmakers.

Founded in the early days of [[Tor]], the eponymous 'Assassination Market' has been described as 'Kickstarter but for murder'. A {{wpl|Tontine}} like system is run, where users can pay Bitcoins to a wallet address supporting an individual they would like killed. A prospective assassin can place a 'prediction' into the wallet, along with their own address should they attempt to claim the bounty. Should they succeed, the anonymous proprietor of the website having confirmed the assassination via e.g. news media, could pay out the bounty completely anonymously.<ref>[http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2013/11/18/meet-the-assassination-market-creator-whos-crowdfunding-murder-with-bitcoins/ Meet The 'Assassination Market' Creator Who's Crowdfunding Murder With Bitcoins]</ref> The site shut down in June 2014,<ref>[http://pirate.london/2015/11/whatever-happened-to-the-crowd-sourced-assassination-marketplace/ Whatever happened to the crowd sourced assassination marketplace?]</ref> and reactivated in 2018 just long enough for the owner to cash in the 180 BTC stored on the site.<ref>https://pirate.london/fake-blockchain-assassination-market-remembers-his-wallets-are-now-worth-1-3-773447f94b80</ref>

===Conclusions===
Despite an innovative business model, no evidence of any murders via this method has ever been produced. According to dark web researcher {{wpl|Cthulhu (developer)|the Cthulhu|,}} the websites in question do not even have especially hardened security configurations.<ref>[https://www.thecthulhu.com/re-the-dark-web-as-you-know-it-is-a-myth/ Re: The Dark Web as You Know It Is a Myth]</ref>

==Clearnet==
===Craigslist===
Well they say it's the classified site for everything. Soliciting a murder surreptitiously via Craigslist is not known to have been successful.<ref>[http://www.dailydot.com/crime/iowa-woman-craigslist-killer-father-schmidt/ Woman arrested for using Craigslist to solicit father's murder]</ref>

=== Individual websites ===
Oh, this has been done more than once it seems:

{{quotebox|"Thanks to the Internet, ordering a hit has never been easier"}} reads the site HitmanForHire.net, in a chipper, infomercial-like tone.

HitmanForHire.net was a scam concocted by Essam Ahmed Eid, a bloke from Las Vegas who hired a Florida developer to build this wonderful site. He scammed tens of thousands of dollars through PayPal and cash in brown envelopes from hapless would-be clients before moving to [[Ireland]]. Eid was found with a silenced pistol and some home-brewed [[Weapons of mass destruction|Ricin]] and the corresponding search terms in his Google search history however was never charged with any actual murders. He was eventually picked up by Irish authorities and extradited to the US after his scamming and extortion operation was uncovered.<ref>[http://www.latimes.com/news/la-me-hitman-for-hire-20120228-story.html Online hits of a different nature]</ref>

In related [[lie|totally-not-a-scam]] news, [http://www.hire-a-killer.com hire-a-killer.com] is a similar such site.<ref name="dailydot"/> They are contactable by the secure method of Gmail, take payment through the untraceable money transfer systems of Visa, MasterCard and Western Union. All you have to do is send information about yourself and your prospective victim via a handy online form.

But don't believe me, believe these satisfied customers:<ref>[http://www.hire-a-killer.com/testimonials.html testimonials]</ref>

{{cquote|My neighbor let his dogs crap on my yard and then denied it. I couldn't see us reaching an agreement, so I consulted Hire-A-Killer and they gave me a great rate and an extremely fast service. Now I have a clean yard and new pet-less neighbors. Thanks H.A.K.!.|||Bill K., W. Virginia}}

{{cquote|My kids were pressuring me about my will and would talk about what they would do with the money in front of me. So I called Hire-a-Killer and had them killed in a tragic accident. I used the money from their life insurance to go on a cruise! Thanks H.A.K.!.|||Susan K., Florida}}

{{wpl|RentAHitman.com}} is a parody website purporting to offer assassination services on the clearnet. The site's domain was bought by Bob Innes in 2005 as a potential site for an information technology company to be set up with his friends (playing on the use of the word "hit" as a check on a website's security or the count of web traffic), though while the company was ultimately never established, Innes continued on with the site as a satirical parody once he received dozens of emails from those who were looking into having someone whacked for real. Some of the requests were humorous in nature and were in no way intending to look for an actual assassination, though Innes' site has resulted in several further convictions for those attempting to employ the supposed services, as he checks messages sent to him and refers any serious requests to law enforcement agencies.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How This Joke Website Puts Criminals In Jail |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHDWi4EEW2c |access-date=2023-08-12 }}</ref>

===Facebook===
Clearly [[Facebook]] is life… and [[death]] for some people.

When in 2011 a teenager from [[Pennsylvania]] said he was falsely accused of rape, he took no delay in updating his Facebook status offering  "$500 for a girls head." and saying "he needed this girl knocked off right now." Clearly the real issue is he forgot to tag her picture.<ref>[http://www.cbsnews.com/news/facebook-murder-for-hire-plot-pa-teen-corey-adams-admits-he-used-site-to-go-after-rape-accuser/ Facebook Murder-for-Hire Plot: Pa. Teen Corey Adams Admits He Used Site to Go After Rape Accuser]</ref>

In 2012 an [[animal rights]] activist from [[Ohio]] offering $730, set up her own Facebook group to solicit someone to gun down a [[random]] person wearing fur outside a library, providing he himself was not wearing fur or a fur-like substance of course. In a shocking turn of affairs it turns out the hitman she eventually corresponded with was an [[FBI]] agent.<ref>[http://abcnews.go.com/US/ohio-facebook-murder-fur-hire-plot/story?id=15765843 Animal Rights Activists Charged in Murder Fur Hire Plot]</ref>

===Reddit===
Well it turns out that people believe sufficiently in internet assassination to ask for specific help on [[Reddit]]. Such naughty people get referred to the Reddit admins who may take things to law enforcement.<ref>[http://pirate.london/2015/10/internet-assassination-fun-times/ Internet assassination fun-times!]</ref> Other scammers may pose asking for 'information' then and support their scams with shill accounts.<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/onions/comments/3zqu26/is_besa_mafia_legit_or_a_scam_or_cops/ Is Besa Mafia legit or a scam or cops?]</ref><ref>[http://pirate.london/2016/02/assassination-scams-the-next-generation/ Assassination scams, the next generation]</ref>

==Ross Ulbricht==
Silk Road founder and convicted drug dealer, "Dread Pirate Roberts" ({{wpl|Ross Ulbricht}}),<ref>[http://www.forbes.com/sites/katevinton/2015/06/05/silk-road-creator-ross-ulbricht-appeals-life-sentence/ Silk Road Creator Ross Ulbricht Appeals Life Sentence] by Kate Vinton (Jun 5, 2015 @ 04:00 PM) ''Forbes''.</ref> enjoyed celebrity status among many [[libertarian]]s<ref>[http://thelibertarianrepublic.com/no-ross-ulbricht-didnt-murder/ No, Ross Ulbricht Did Not Order Six Murders]</ref> and drug-legalisation types, that was until murder-for-hire was added to his list of charges by the FBI. Speculation ranged for Ulbricht being just another cold-blooded drug cartel boss, to whether the evidence of murder was fabricated by alleged hit men, through to a complete denial from Ulbricht's defence alleging FBI defamation and corruption.<ref>[http://www.dailydot.com/crime/silk-road-murder-charges-ross-ulbricht/ The mystery of the disappearing Silk Road murder charges]</ref> The murder charges were since dropped and some evidence of FBI corruption was in fact uncovered.<ref>[http://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahjeong/2015/03/31/force-and-bridges/ Criminal Charges Against Agents Reveal Staggering Corruption in the Silk Road Investigation]</ref> (Whether he is rehabilitated in light of this new development remains to be seen.)

==See also==
*[[Red Room]]

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Crime]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Scams]]
[[Category:Urban legends]]
[[Category:Deep web]]

Categories: Crime, Internet, Scams, Urban legends, Deep web