"Mystery Boxes" are being sold full of unknown items to curious individuals from a marketplace over the dark web.
What is a mystery box? Well it's simply a package whose content(s) is unknown, usually bought from an online marketplace.
The mystery boxes have been around for some while but have recently hit the limelight once again thanks to YouTubers creating videos about their contents.
In the dark web, anything and everything is available-from drugs and ransomware, weapons and fake IDs to stranger items like bottles of water from untouched mountain streams.
However, the curiosity, anxiety and suspense of buying a box full of unknown items is what is attracting these YouTubers to spend hundreds of dollars on a single box.
This has enabled them to gain millions of views on their channels, allowing them to make money on such videos.
But one thing remaining unclear is whether the individuals actually bought the boxes off the dark web or just simply got them from eBay.
Jude Somers, one of the YouTubers hopping onto this trend, got over five million views on his unboxing video.
Having paid £250 (or $319 USD) for a mystery box on a darknet marketplace, Jude's box contained random items such as an iPad, a Motorola cell phone, a red stained screwdriver and a black gooey, smelly substance-just to mention a few items.
Other YouTubers in their videos have received a pack of cards, stained knives and mysterious powders.
Pandora's Boxes for Sale
The inadequacy of regulation in the dark web would mean that some mystery boxes could be packed with hazardous items like toxic substances, bombs or other weapons, or with clearance inventory.
While unpacking such boxes, unsuspecting customers may end up getting adverse health issues, a common problem that featured in some of the YouTubers' reaction videos days later after unpacking the mystery box.
Unfortunately, not all the adverse effects come into the limelight-one recent post on the /r/nosleep subreddit highlights some of the dangers one encounters by buying mystery boxes.
In a nutshell, the user bought a mystery box off the dark web for $250 worth of Bitcoin after a night out with friends.
A few weeks later, the package arrived with a red sweater, a set of keys, a good amount of weed, a small box with Xanax inside, a wooden box with jewellery and an iPad.
Cutting the story short, most of the items in there belonged to the user's mother who claimed to have misplaced them.
Baffled by the "coincidence," the user decided to go through the iPad only to find dozens of photos of their house, from their kitchen to the living room.
There were also photos of his parents in bed and a gloved hand holding the items sent in the mystery box.
The authenticity of the article is certainly questionable since it was posted on a subreddit community famous for stories based either on true and realistic stories, or a writer's fantasy and wild imaginations.
Regardless of this, it shows how individuals run the risk of being completely ripped off by unscrupulous dealers.
This is not a significant issue compared to the other shocking items one can easily acquire over the dark web. However, there will always be a possibility that someone will sell an awesome mystery box, so individuals will continue to be intrigued by the gamble.
Disclaimer:
The articles and content found on Dark Web News are for general information purposes only and are not intended to solicit illegal activity or constitute legal advice. Using drugs is harmful to your health and can cause serious problems including death and imprisonment, and any treatment should not be undertaken without medical supervision.
