Every day, the Telegram channel Gun Shop America posts a steady stream of photographs of illicit wares for sale to its near 26,000 subscribers. Recently these included a 9mm Glock with ammunition for $500, Bolivian cocaine for $1,000 an ounce and fraudulently cloned bank cards for $5,000.
“Keep your orders coming,” the anonymous channel owner writes on his public feed, inviting his followers to message him directly to make a purchase in bitcoin or US dollars. He intersperses his adverts with photos of piles of cash and screenshots of messages of appreciation from happy customers. “Don’t sleep guys it’s Christmas around the corner let’s get on it!!!” he exclaims.
The gun shop is just one of tens of thousands of Telegram groups and channels tracked by criminology and cyber security experts. They argue that the social media app has become the new “dark web”, where lawbreakers and cyber hackers brazenly boast about and barter over illicit services without repercussions.