Law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and Dutch police, have confiscated an illegal marketplace selling fake identity documents for approximately $9 per item.
In a significant move to combat identity theft and fraud, the FBI and Dutch police have seized two domains and a blog associated with VerifTools, an international criminal marketplace known for selling fake driver's licenses, passports, and other forms of ID.
The FBI's investigation, initiated in August 2022, uncovered a conspiracy involving the use of stolen identity information for accessing cryptocurrency accounts. The marketplace was found to offer fake ID documents for all 50 US states and multiple foreign countries.
With these counterfeit documents, criminals can assume new identities, potentially getting hired by tech companies in fake IT worker scams. The marketplace also facilitated digital identity and bank help-desk fraud.
Undercover cops used VerifTools to generate and purchase counterfeit New Mexico driver's licenses with cryptocurrency. The FBI pulled the platform offline, marking a major step in protecting the public from such crimes.
The Rotterdam Police Cybercrime Team seized data from VerifTools' servers on August 27, 2022. Dutch police also seized two physical servers and over 21 virtual servers from an Amsterdam data center during the investigation.
Authorities, however, have not yet released any public information about who managed the VerifTools website or whether they can identify this person. The FBI identified approximately $6.4 million of illicit proceeds linked to VerifTools.
Acting Special Agent in Charge Philip Russell of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office announced the seizure, stating it is a significant step in protecting the public from fraud and identity theft crime. In the Netherlands, forgery, false identification, and deploying counterfeit payment instruments each carry a maximum prison sentence of six years.
The FBI and Dutch police continue to investigate the case, with the Rotterdam Police further examining the data on the servers to identify the administrator and users of VerifTools. This joint operation underscores the commitment of law enforcement agencies worldwide to combat online fraud and identity theft.
