**Telegram-based Illicit Billionaire Marketplace Tudou Guarantee Stops Transactions**
Major Telegram-based illicit marketplace Tudou Guarantee has reportedly stopped its operations, marking a significant blow to the Southeast Asian scam economy. According to Elliptic, a blockchain cybersecurity firm, Tudou Guarantee has ceased transactions in its public groups after handling over $12 billion in illicit activities.
The researchers noted that other services still run, indicating that a full shutdown is unclear at this time. However, the abrupt halt in transactions suggests that Tudou Guarantee may be shutting down its operations or pivoting away from fraud-related activity. This development has sent shockwaves through the dark web community, with many wondering what led to the sudden closure.
Since its inception, Tudou (meaning "Potato" in Chinese) has processed over $12 billion in transactions, making it the third-largest illicit marketplace of all time. Its growth can be attributed to the shutdown of Huione Guarantee, another prominent Telegram-based marketplace that was shut down by Telegram in May 2025. This move prompted merchants to migrate to Tudou, causing user numbers to double and transaction volumes to surge.
Tudou's escrow service played a crucial role in facilitating transactions between buyers and sellers, creating a large criminal ecosystem that thrived on the platform. Merchants offered a range of illicit services, including stolen data, money laundering, scam platforms, phishing sites, face-swapping tools, AI voice cloning, and deepfakes to trick victims.
The shutdown of Tudou Guarantee is closely linked to the collapse of Prince Group, a global scam compound that was sanctioned by the US and UK in October 2025. The company's chairman, Chen Zhi, was arrested and extradited to China after law enforcement raids increased. Elliptic recorded a sharp drop in activity in Tudou's main crypto wallets shortly after Chen's arrest, suggesting that it directly impacted the platform's operations.
"The closure of Tudou is a significant blow to the Southeast Asian scam economy," concludes the report by Elliptic. "However, history suggests that the vacuum will not remain unfilled for long." The researchers emphasize that the fundamental advantage remains on the side of investigators: every cryptoasset transaction creates a permanent record on the blockchain, allowing authorities to track and follow the illicit activity.
As the dark web continues to evolve, one thing is clear – the transparency of the blockchain will remain a powerful tool for investigators to combat online scams and bring perpetrators to justice. The story of Tudou Guarantee serves as a reminder that the cat-and-mouse game between scammers and law enforcement is far from over.