Hiring a Hitman on the Dark Web: Scam, Stunt, or Something More Sinister?

Among all the legends surrounding the dark web, none is more chilling—or click-worthy—than the idea of hiring a hitman online. The notion seems pulled from a thriller: anonymous browsers, untraceable crypto, a digital contract to kill.

Search engines bubble with claims. News headlines sensationalize it. YouTube videos dramatize dark web hitman “encounters.” But reality is rarely so cinematic.

Beneath the surface, these services often turn out to be scams, honey traps, or theatrical stunts. Yet the question persists: Could someone really outsource murder through a Tor window?

How the Myth Was Born

The earliest mentions of dark web hitmen date back to the early 2010s, during the Silk Road era. As drugs and counterfeit items flourished in hidden marketplaces, new services began to emerge—some real, some fake, many murky.

Birth of the Hitman Marketplace

• Sites like Besa Mafia claimed to offer international murder-for-hire.
• Prices ranged from $5,000 for a “warning shot” to $70,000 for a “clean kill.”
• Escrow systems mimicked those used for drugs and forged documents.

What set these sites apart was their theatricality. Hitmen posed with weapons. Victim photos were blurred out. Orders required filling in location, target info, and motive.

To the untrained eye, it looked real. To investigators, it was digital theater.

The Scam Behind the Sinister

The vast majority of so-called hitman services are elaborate frauds designed to prey on desperation and curiosity. They ask for upfront Bitcoin payments and vanish. Some string buyers along, offering fake progress updates and “surveillance photos.”

The Anatomy of a Hitman Scam

• Step 1: A buyer submits a request and transfers crypto.
• Step 2: The operator replies with promises, surveillance logs, or timelines.
• Step 3: More money is requested for equipment, travel, or bribes.
• Step 4: Communication abruptly stops.

No hit. No refund. No trace. But everything was logged.

One operator behind Besa Mafia collected over $600,000 in BTC before the site was exposed as a scam in 2016. The site even faked order confirmations to keep the illusion alive. Law enforcement eventually tied the operator to a Romanian fraud network.

When Law Enforcement Gets Involved

Police and intelligence agencies monitor hitman sites aggressively. They know that even if the services are fake, the intent to kill is real—and prosecutable.

Famous Investigations

• Besa Mafia Takedown (2016): Journalists and security researchers helped trace the site’s operations. The admin, known as "Yura," was arrested. Not a killer—just a scammer.
• Michigan Case (2018): A woman tried to hire a hitman through a Tor service called Rent-A-Hitman—unaware it was a satire site run by a cybersecurity worker. She was arrested and charged.
• U.S. Army Officer Plot (2020): A serviceman attempted to contract a hit on his wife via a darknet service. Undercover FBI agents intercepted the payment.

These cases rarely end with violence—but often end with indictments. Courts don’t distinguish between real and fake hitmen when charging conspiracy to commit murder.

Why People Still Try

Even with widespread knowledge that these sites are scams, people still attempt to use them. Why?

Motivations Behind the Click

• Desperation: Financial abuse, revenge, and domestic violence cases often trigger these searches.
• Curiosity: Some users test the process, never planning to follow through.
• Malice masked by naivety: Believing in anonymity, some assume there's no consequence in “exploring options.”

Many of the arrested claim they never expected it to work. But law enforcement sees the intent, not the skepticism.

The Business Model of Murder

While traditional dark web markets use escrow and feedback systems, hitman sites function differently. They rely on deception, not delivery.

Traits of Hitman Portals

• No third-party reviews: Feedback is fake, often repeated across listings.
• Stock images: Hitmen “profiles” use photos scraped from social media or gun blogs.
• One-way communication: There’s no support team or dispute resolution.
• Exaggerated language: Phrases like “100% success rate” or “military-trained assassin” are red flags.

Many of these sites also phish for personal data, quietly selling submitted information to other criminals.

The Few Real Threats That Exist

While most hitman services are fiction, there have been a handful of real-world darknet murder plots. These cases are rare—but alarming.

Known Incidents

• In 2016, a darknet user allegedly paid $12,000 to have a target killed in Germany. The "hitman" was an undercover officer.
• In 2019, a Singaporean man was arrested for trying to hire a killer on a Tor forum to murder his ex-girlfriend’s new partner. He paid in Bitcoin. The site was a honeypot.
• In 2022, British tabloids reported a failed plot involving a fake hitman service and a jealous spouse. Again, no hit occurred—only arrests.

Each time, the process reveals the same pattern: the dark web provides the illusion of control, but in reality, it leaves digital fingerprints everywhere.

Should We Still Be Worried?

Yes—and no. The idea of on-demand murder-for-hire is horrifying, but the real danger often lies in the willingness to try, not in the success of the transaction.

These sites act as mirrors. They reflect a chilling side of human nature—one willing to pay for death if they believe no one is watching. But someone is always watching. And in most cases, the gun is never drawn.