Software:Grams (search)

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Short description: Discontinued search engine
Grams
Grams search logo.png
Type of site
Darknet market search engine
Available inEnglish
WebsiteTemplate:Onion defunct
[1][2][3][4]
Launched2014
Current statusClosed in 2017

Grams is a discontinued search engine for Tor based darknet markets launched in April 2014,[5] and closed in December 2017.[6] The service allowed users to search multiple darknet markets for products like drugs and guns from a simple search interface,[5] and also provided the capability for its users to hide their transactions through its bitcoin tumbler Helix.

The services used a custom API to scrape listings from several markets such as Alpha Bay and others, to return search listings.[5] The site is described by the Global Drug Policy Observatory to have "transformed how people search the hidden web".[7]

In May 2014 the site added Gramwords, a service similar to Google's AdWords search sponsorship system for vendors.[8] Additionally their profile system allows for cross-market vendor contact details and reviews to be held centrally.[9]

Later that year in June the creators released Grams Flow, a clearnet to Tor redirection service serving various dark net sites[10] and in November, a banner advertising network for Tor sites, TorAds[11][12] which has not yet had much success.[13]

'InfoDesk' allows central content and identity management for vendors, reducing the complexity of around maintaining presences on multiple markets.[14]

On December 9, 2017, the Grams administrator left a PGP signed message on the Reddit subreddit r/Grams stating that all Grams services, including the Helix tumbler, would be shut down on December 16, 2017.[15]

Helix

In June 2014, Grams released Helix and Helix Light, a market payment service with an integrated bitcoin tumbler.[16][17][18] The site was also available on the clearnet via Grams Flow.[16]

In August 2017, it was noted that an elaborate darknet phishing scam appeared as the top Google search result for "how to mix bitcoins", directing users to a fake version of the Grams Helix Light website that would steal their bitcoins.[19][20]

Due to the enduring popularity of the site, and relative ease of replicating the first few digits of a .onion address,[21] a number of illegitimate copies of the original Gram hidden service have been created.[20] These include a scam version of flow, the search engine, and even copies of the drug marketplaces indexed.[22][20] Several competing scams have replicated the "grams7e" portion of the address and are listed on links aggregators as if they are the now defunct original site.[23][19] Like the Helix scam, these sites defraud unsuspecting visitors of any money or personal details entered on the fake site or fake marketplaces it linked to.[20][19]

Owner

On February 6, 2020, the FBI and IRS arrested an Ohio man, Larry Dean Harmon, who they alleged was the operator of Helix and Grams.[24] Helix was said to have been partnered with AlphaBay, an illegal darknet market shut down in mid-2017. Harmon pled guilty in August 2021 and agreed to forfeit 4400 bitcoins as part of a plea deal, and faces up to 20 years imprisonment.[25] As of November 2021, Harmon's sentencing has been deferred indefinitely while he works under a cooperation plea agreement.[26]

References

  1. ↑ "Grams marketplace listing". https://www.deepdotweb.com/grams-search-darknet-marketplaces/. 
  2. ↑ "Grams listing". https://dnstats.net/other/Grams+DarkNet+Market+Search+Engine. 
  3. ↑ Zetter, Kim (17 April 2014). "New 'Google' for the Dark Web Makes Buying Dope and Guns Easy". Wired. https://www.wired.com/2014/04/grams-search-engine-dark-web/. 
  4. ↑ Neal, Meghan (17 April 2014). "I Used the Dark Net's First Search Engine to Look for Drugs". https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/z4m4ma/i-let-grams-guide-me-through-the-dark-nets-illegal-bazaars. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Zetter, Kim (17 April 2015). "New 'Google' for the Dark Web Makes Buying Dope and Guns Easy". https://www.wired.com/2014/04/grams-search-engine-dark-web/. 
  6. ↑ C. Aliens. "The Darknet Search Engine 'Grams' is Shutting Down" (in en-US). DeepDotWeb. https://www.deepdotweb.com/2017/12/15/darknet-search-engine-grams-shutting/. 
  7. ↑ Buxton, Julia; Bingham, Tim. "The Rise and Challenge of Dark Net Drug Markets". http://www.swansea.ac.uk/media/The%20Rise%20and%20Challenge%20of%20Dark%20Net%20Drug%20Markets.pdf. 
  8. ↑ ""Gramwords" Launched: Google Adwords Of The DeepWeb!". 1 June 2014. http://www.deepdotweb.com/2014/06/01/gramwords-launched-google-adwords-of-the-deepweb/. 
  9. ↑ "Grams: Becoming Hub For DarkNet Info & Ads (Part 1)". 31 May 2014. http://www.deepdotweb.com/2014/05/31/introducing-grams-infodesk-features-part-1/. 
  10. ↑ "Grams Flow: Easy access to Hidden Sites". 7 June 2014. https://www.deepdotweb.com/2014/06/07/grams-flow-easy-access-hidden-sites/. 
  11. ↑ "Grams Grows with TorAds: First Advertising Network For Tor". 18 November 2014. https://www.deepdotweb.com/2014/11/18/grams-torads/. 
  12. ↑ "Happy Birthday To Grams!". 9 April 2015. https://www.deepdotweb.com/2015/04/09/happy-birthday-to-grams/. 
  13. ↑ Cox, Joseph (21 April 2015). "Banner Ads Don't Work on the Dark Web". http://motherboard.vice.com/read/advertising-just-doesnt-work-on-the-dark-web. 
  14. ↑ "A Sneak Peek To Grams Search Engine "Stage 2: Infodesk"". 17 May 2014. https://www.deepdotweb.com/2014/05/17/a-sneak-peek-to-grams-search-engine-stage-2-infodesk/. 
  15. ↑ "So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish". 9 December 2017. https://www.reddit.com/r/grams/comments/7ikv9r/so_long_and_thanks_for_all_the_fish/. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Introducing Grams Helix: Bitcoins Cleaner". 22 June 2014. https://www.deepdotweb.com/2014/06/22/introducing-grams-helix-bitcoins-cleaner/. 
  17. ↑ "Helix Updates: Integrated Markets Can Now Helix Your BTC". August 5, 2014. http://www.deepdotweb.com/2014/08/05/helix-updates-integrated-markets-can-now-helix-your-btc/. 
  18. ↑ White, Mike. "Deep Web Bitcoin Mixer's Recent Hack Restarted The Debate Of Darkcoin Vs Trusted Mixers and Trusted Mixers Won". http://coinbrief.net/deep-web-bitcoin-mixers-vs-darkcoin/. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Pearson, Jordan (31 August 2017). "An Elaborate Darknet Phishing Scam Is the Top Google Result for Basic Bitcoin Tutorials". Vice Motherboard. https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/d33ey7/an-elaborate-darknet-phishing-scam-is-the-top-google-result-for-basic-bitcoin-tutorials. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 Jotham, Immanuel (31 August 2017). "Popular Darknet Markets tutorial on bitcoin mixing is a dubious phishing scam". International Business Times. http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/popular-darknet-markets-tutorial-bitcoin-mixing-dubious-phishing-scam-1637368. 
  21. ↑ Dingledine, Roger (Oct 31, 2014). "[tor-talk Facebook brute forcing hidden services"] (in en). https://lists.torproject.org/pipermail/tor-talk/2014-October/035412.html. 
  22. ↑ An example of an scam site is "grams.link" Copy on archive.org.
  23. ↑ Both "grams7ebnju7gwjl" and "grams7enqfy4nieo" are examples of onion hostnames copying the first digits of the original site.
  24. ↑ Heisig, Eric (Feb 12, 2020). "Bath Township man ran service that laundered $311 million in bitcoin for darknet transactions, feds say". cleveland.com. https://www.cleveland.com/court-justice/2020/02/bath-township-man-ran-service-that-laundered-311-million-in-bitcoin-for-darknet-transactions-feds-say.html. 
  25. ↑ Sun, Mengqi (18 August 2021). "Operator of Helix Bitcoin 'Mixer' Pleads Guilty". Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/operator-of-helix-bitcoin-mixer-pleads-guilty-11629328791. 
  26. ↑ "Money Laundering Enforcement Trends: Spring 2022 | Miller & Chevalier". https://www.millerchevalier.com/publication/money-laundering-enforcement-trends-spring-2022. 



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