In 2023, 1,844 Russian companies were put up for sale on the dark web, Solar Group experts discovered. The survey found that there were 42% fewer such ads in 2022. This year the growth continues.
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Why do scammers buy legal entities on the dark web?
According to experts from the Solar AURA digital and external threat monitoring center, legal entities are acquired for various types of illegal activities. It often involves illegal charging and money laundering.
These companies can also be used in supply chain attacks or decoy partnership scenarios.
The most dangerous frauds are those that involve shell companies, experts explain. This is because a company created a week ago and that wants to become a counterparty generates more doubts and distrust than a structure acquired secretly and with a long history.
Alexander Vurasko, head of the external digital threat monitoring service Solar AURA at Solar Group, explains that the purchase of ready-made legal entities has become a trend in the hidden segment. A company that happens overnight can be easily identified with a superficial control, says the specialist.
At the same time, a company purchased on the dark web for illegal activities may appear trustworthy on the surface and have good financial performance.
In addition to the sales of legal entities in 2023, more than 13 thousand ads with illegal services were found on the darknet and Telegram. For example, selling pirated accounts and products without going through official distribution channels.
Author:
Natalia Gormaleva
Source: RB
I am a professional journalist and content creator with extensive experience writing for news websites. I currently work as an author at Gadget Onus, where I specialize in covering hot news topics. My written pieces have been published on some of the biggest media outlets around the world, including The Guardian and BBC News.
