The FBI and the Dutch Police have shut down the VerifTools marketplace for fraudulent identity documents afterseizing servers in Amsterdam that hosted the online operation.
VerifTools was a prominent platform that produced and intermediatedthe purchase of fake documents (e.g. driver’s licenses, passports) that were used to bypass various identity verification systems or to assume an identity, either stolen or fabricated.
The police note that such sites are used in bank fraud, phishing, helpdesk scams, fraudulent acquisition of state benefits, evading prosecution, and retaining anonymity on platforms that adhere to ‘Know Your Customer’ (KYC) regulations.
Such platforms are also used by younger people who wantto bypass age-related restrictions.
press release today.
“The investigation revealed that VerifTools offered counterfeit identification documents for all 50 U.S. states and multiple foreign countries for as little as nine dollars, payable in cryptocurrency.”
According to the Dutch Police, VerfiTools had an estimated revenue of at least€1.3 million. However, the FBI has connected to the VerifTools marketplace around $6.4 million in illegal proceeds.
The law enforcement operation was carried out with the support of the FBI, which took the platform offline and posted a seizure banner on its main domain, veriftools.net.
The Dutch police saythat getting a fake document was as easy as uploading a photo and typingin the false information. VerifTools then used the data to generate an image of a fake ID.
reads Politie’s announcement.
“This data is now under investigation. The Public Prosecution Service does not rule out future arrests.”
If any arrests follow in the future, individuals who used false identification or counterfeit payment face charges that carry a maximum prison sentence of six years in the Netherlands.
Bill Toulas
Bill Toulas is a tech writer and infosec news reporter with over a decade of experience working on various online publications, covering open-source, Linux, malware, data breach incidents, and hacks.