A website on the dark web is raising funds to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump as part of an apparent crowdfunding scam.
The website, titled "Destroy Trump," appeared on the dark web two weeks ago and claims to have already raised $13,245 of its $30,000 goal.
"Trump is bullshit. Trump is the death of America," a message on the site reads. "I can help. I am terminally ill. I'm going to die soon. I want to do something good for this country and for this world. I want to kill Trump."
The site's anonymous author goes on to claim that they have the "right skills," the "right acquaintances," and a "plan" to carry out the assassination.
"I need your help. I need money," the message continues. "Every dollar will help. I need to raise $30000. We don't have much time left. Please help me! Let's do it together!"
Below the message, the website lists two cryptocurrency addresses for users to send either Bitcoin or Minero. Examination of the public ledger for both wallets by the Daily Dot shows no funds have been sent to either, despite the site's claims to the contrary.
The Daily Dot reached out to the Secret Service to ask whether the agency was aware of the apparent scam site but did not receive a reply by press time.
The website's appearance comes after numerous close calls for Trump over the past year. In July, Trump was shot and wounded in his upper right ear at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania during an assassination attempt.
In September, a would-be assassin was shot by Secret Service officers after being seen with a rifle in the bushes at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Such scams, including those involving hirable "hitmen," are widespread on the dark web, a part of the internet only accessible to those using specialized software and web browsers.
Back in 2014, however, a self-described anarchist launched a dark web site known as the "Assassination Market" where users could crowdfund bounties on the heads of government officials.
The site's owner claimed that if any of the figures listed were killed, such as then-President Barack Obama and then-Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, the assassin could receive the funds raised by users by presenting him with proof.
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The post A dark web ‘hitman’ is promising to kill Trump—if he raises $30,000 in crypto appeared first on The Daily Dot.
