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Update

Cointelegraph reports that AI-generated fake IDs costing as little as $15 are reportedly being used to fool crypto exchange identity checks, potentially giving crypto hackers and scammers a new edge.

A new service claiming to use AI neural networks and generators to create fake driver licenses and passports has reportedly succeeded in passing Know Your Customer (KYC) checks on multiple crypto exchanges.

The site, OnlyFake, generates realistic fake driver’s licences and passports for 26 countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, the UK, and multiple EU countries. The site accepts payment in multiple cryptocurrencies via Coinbase’s commercial payments service.

It was reported by 404 Media on 5 Feb that it successfully bypassed the KYC verification of crypto exchange OKX using a photo of a UK passport generated using the OnlyFake site, where the ID appeared to be laid on a bedsheet as if a picture of it had been taken.

Cointelegraph has also seen a Telegram channel that shows site users sharing their stories of successfully using these IDs to bypass verification at various crypto exchanges and financial service providers, including Kraken, Bybit, Bitget, Huobi, and PayPal.

The service could be a boon for crypto scammers and hackers, who could use fake documents to open exchanges and bank accounts, protecting their real identity and making them more difficult to track.

OnlyFake’s pseudonymous owner John Wick, told 404 Media that the IDs could bypass KYC checks at exchanges including Binance, Kraken, Bybit, Huobi, Coinbase, and OKX, along with the crypto-accepting neobank Revolut.

An OKX spokesperson told Cointelegraph that it denies any allegation or implication that it ‘condones, accepts, or disregards fraudulent conduct’ and that it is working with its own teams and with external partners to investigate the report. ‘We are committed to fighting fraudulent conduct aggressively on our platform and seeking the highest standards of compliance,’ it added.

A spokesperson for Revolut said it has ‘robust internal and third-party controls’ to mitigate the risk of AI and deep fakes used in its KYC flow, adding that the use of such technology is an industry-wide problem.

Links: https://cointelegraph.com/news/ai-generated-fake-ids-pass-crypto-exchange-kyc-onlyfake