The cryptocurrency exchange mixer and dark web email service provider Elude.in has been confirmed to be implementing an “exit scam.”

"ODN" has been following the progress of rumors about the "exit scam" of Elude.in, a well-known cryptocurrency exchange mixer and dark web email service provider, and this week the rumors have been confirmed.

Elude Exchange is a cryptocurrency exchange service hosted on the dark web. It is operated by the same team that runs Elude Mail, an anonymous email service on the same website. Elude Exchange supports three cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC), Monero (XMR), and Litecoin (LTC). Unlike some other dark web-based exchanges, creating an account is not necessary for conducting exchanges, nor is it necessary to provide a refund address.

Elude is known for its extreme emphasis on privacy, with all of its servers running exclusively on the Tor network. The website does not use JavaScript and does not collect or store data during the exchange process. Elude also offers Bitcoin mixing services for BTC users who wish to break blockchain links. The exchange portion of the website has a simple design but also includes some advanced features to help users maximize their privacy during exchanges and/or mixing.

On April 5th, according to a warning posted by an Elude.in staff member on the Dread dark web market forum in a whistleblower post, the long anonymous BTC/XMR exchange and cryptocurrency mixer, Elude.in, confirmed that it is in the process of an exit scam.

User "elude" has been answering support questions related to Elude.in on the Dread forum for almost five years. On April 5th, in a PGP-signed message posted across multiple sections of the Dread forum, elude candidly stated the status of the long-running service:

"Hello, I'm sorry to say that the Admins have decided to end the Elude project with an exit scam. All withdrawals are disabled. I'm very, very sorry for anybody that has already lost coins. I was messaged about this half an hour ago. DO NOT USE ELUDE!"

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA256

Hello,

I'm sorry to say that the Admins have decided to end the Elude project with an exit scam.

All withdrawals are disabled.

I'm very, very sorry for anybody that has already lost coins.

I was messaged about this half an hour ago.

DO NOT USE ELUDE!

Hugely sad to see it end this way.

Future communication may be difficult from this account.

Please add the following PGP key, and I will create a new account with which to communicate from:

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Source:

http://dreadytofatroptsdj6io7l3xptbet6onoyno2yv7jicoxknyazubrad.onion/post/4423defb104c4a37de7e (section: http://dreadytofatroptsdj6io7l3xptbet6onoyno2yv7jicoxknyazubrad.onion/d/Elude)

http://dreadytofatroptsdj6io7l3xptbet6onoyno2yv7jicoxknyazubrad.onion/post/a5397377d551b1432029 (section: http://dreadytofatroptsdj6io7l3xptbet6onoyno2yv7jicoxknyazubrad.onion/d/Monero)

Although the PGP key used to sign the message has been changed to a new key to prevent the site owner from accessing the Dread account and deleting the whistleblower warning message, senior members and staff of the Dread forum confirmed that the signature is valid and was signed with the old Elude.in key.

Shortly after posting the warning, user elude revealed that they were hired by Elude.in only to provide customer support and did not have access to the website's infrastructure. They also revealed that they were paid $1,000 per week to keep silent.

The user elude has been answering support questions related to Elude.in on the Dread forum for nearly five years. On April 5th, in PGP signed messages posted across several sections of the Dread forum, elude bluntly stated the state of long-running service:

"Hello, I regret to inform you that the administrators have decided to end the Elude project by exiting the scam. All withdrawals have been disabled. I am very, very sorry for anyone who has lost coins. I received the news about this half an hour ago. Do not use Elude! I am very sad to see it end in this way."

Although the PGP key used to sign the message has been changed to a new key to prevent the site owner from accessing the Dread account and deleting the warning messages, senior members and staff of Dread have confirmed that the signature is valid and was signed with the old Elude.in key.

Shortly after posting the warning, the user elude revealed on Dread that they were only hired by Elude.in to provide customer support and did not have access to the site's infrastructure. They also revealed that they were "paid $1,000 a week to keep quiet."

Subsequently, the user FixFull posted the news on Reddit:

Elude[.in] was one of the best (also my fav 🙁 ) services on the Tor network. They offered a .onion mail service, bitcoin mixer and on-site XMR, BTC and LTC swap/wallet. The top mod of the offical /d/Elude subdread made the unfortunate announcement.

Intial post: dreadyt***/post/a5397377d551b1432029

This is a dark day for all of us who utilized this supposedly great service and believed they truly were fighting for us.

The well-known cryptocurrency mixer directory site KYCNOT also removed the directory link to Elude.in on April 5th. In addition, on April 6th, Dark.fail tweeted:

WARNING: Elude's cryptocurrency mixer is reported to be selectively scamming, we are working to confirm.

Elude.in has had numerous complaints about its service in the past, but most issues were resolved shortly after. A few weeks ago, several users of the exchange complained that they had not received their Monero, but most of these issues were resolved, meaning that the decision to "exit the scam" was made recently.

The latest complaint was made 8 hours ago, with one user complaining that they had converted BTC to XMR but were unable to withdraw their XMR. Six hours later, elude responded to the complaint, writing, "I am very sorry, but you won't see your tokens."

Elude.in was once considered one of the most trusted anonymous crypto exchange services on the dark web and has been operating for over five years. In addition to serving as a cryptocurrency exchange and mixer, they also offer a free anonymous email service, which is also popular among dark web users. It is confusing that currently, Elude.in's dark web and clear web sites and all its services are still online, seeming to want to carry out the scam to the end.

Elude.in's dark web address:

http://eludemailxhnqzfmxehy3bk5guyhlxbunfyhkcksv4gvx6d3wcf6smad.onion

Elude.in's clearnet address:

https://elude.in/

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