The FBI and the Dutch Police have shut down the VerifTools marketplace for fraudulent identity documents after seizing servers in Amsterdam that hosted the online operation.
VerifTools was a prominent platform that produced and intermediated the 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 want to bypass age-related restrictions.
The VerifTools site before its seizure
Source: Politie
Several agencies from multiple countries (the EICD, Rotterdam Cybercrime team, the FBI, the Welsh police) were conducting investigations of identity fraud cases that led to the VerfiTools platform.
The FBI started an investigation in August 2022 after learning of "a conspiracy to use stolen identity information to access cryptocurrency accounts," the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Mexico, says in a 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.
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