A website that allowed anyone to create genuine-looking but fake identification cards and documents has been shut down by the FBI and Dutch national police.
The FBI's Albuquerque, New Mexico, office took the lead in the case when agents were made aware of the site, which offered fake IDs for all 50 states and several foreign countries. The IDs could be used by criminals to gain access to financial accounts. Some IDs were offered for as little as $9. Payment for the fraudulent IDs had to be made using cryptocurrency.
Unlike many computer-related ID theft and marketing outfits that stay hidden on the dark web, this one was out in the open and accessible to anyone who wanted to take advantage of the technology.
Online security company Bitdefender reported that the primary servers for the site were located at a data center in Amsterdam. Once located, Dutch police went in to take possession of the servers and 21 virtual machines on Wednesday.
Even though the operations of VerifTools.net have been shut down, the website was still accessible as of Saturday. Authorities placed a banner at the domain reading, "This website has been seized."
The FBI reported that it has connected over $6.4 million in transactions to the VerifTools marketplace.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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