The dark web is a digital no man’s land where many peculiar activities take place. Check out these chilling, real-life deep web horror stories and tips that can help keep you safe.

If you thought the surface web was the whole internet, think again. The dark web is where things get really strange—and sometimes dangerous. It's filled with underground websites that aren't indexed by search engines, and that’s where some of the internet’s most disturbing stories begin.

Buckle up for some dark web horror stories that will have you double-checking your online safety settings.

There’s no place like gnome

Yes, you read that right—gnomes. But these aren’t the cute garden decorations your grandma loves. Welcome to Get Gnomed, an onion site on the dark web that lets buyers purchase a “gnoming” service. This involves anonymously sending garden gnomes to someone’s house. Sounds harmless enough—even funny—until they start piling up and creeping out whoever’s the target.

TikToker Thunder Keck (@thunder_keck), a football player and computer science major, documented his experience of being gnomed in 2022 and 2023. His series went viral, where he showed the random places he found gnomes and the creative gnome-related quests he was given. Talk about funny and inconvenient.

Sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite

What’s worse than bedbugs? Someone on the dark web who wants to breed super-bedbugs that are resistant to standard extermination methods.

According to Reddit user urbanhawk1, this particular dark webber had a twisted plan:

1. Breed bedbugs that only he knew how to kill.
2. Release them into people’s homes and charge a hefty fee to get rid of them.

They really wanted to live their super villain trope fantasy—creating a problem only they could fix. Let’s hope they never get their project off the ground. The last thing we need is super-pests ruining our sleep.

Game over

Imagine this: every heated, uncensored in-game voice chat you’ve ever participated in is being recorded—and posted for anyone to hear. That's exactly what happened with a dark website called Call of Duty Lobby Leaks that archived voice chats from player vs. player games. Think intense first-person shooter games.

People could search for gamertags and listen to the raw, unedited conversations. It’s the stuff of nightmares for any gamer who’s ever lost their cool after a bad match. And yep, it went viral and people were horrified to discover their own outbursts were immortalized on the dark web.

Revenge porn site returns from the dead

One of the darkest stories from the deep web is about a site called Pink Meth, a revenge porn platform that was taken down in 2014, only to resurface a year later. This site was notorious for allowing users to post nude photos of their exes along with contact details like social media profiles and even addresses.

Victims would then be encouraged to write to the website explaining the explicit details of their encounters to maybe have it taken down—repulsive behavior to say the least. It’s a chilling reminder that once something is on the internet, it’s nearly impossible to erase.

Tips for staying safe on the deep web

The dark web is no place for the unprepared. If you ever find yourself navigating its murky waters, follow these tips to stay safe:

• Use a VPN. Hide your IP address and encrypt your internet connection to avoid tracking with Avast SecureLine VPN.
• Never click links from unknown sources. These could lead to malware or phishing scams.
• Avoid downloading files. Malware and viruses are rampant on the dark web.
• Use strong, unique passwords. Password managers can help keep your logins secure.
• Enable 2FA. Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of protection to your accounts.
• Never share personal information. Keep your real identity under wraps.
• Limit your time on the dark web. The longer you're there, the higher your risk.
• Add security software. Tools like Avast BreachGuard can help monitor and protect your personal data.

Keep Your personal info safe from dark web threats

The dark web can feel like the wild west of the internet, but that doesn’t mean you have to be a victim. Stay smart, stay safe, and maybe stick to the garden-variety web instead of venturing too far into the shadows.