The FBI and the Dutch Police have dismantled VerifTools, a marketplace that produced and brokered counterfeit identification documents used to bypass identity checks. Authorities seized two physical servers and 21 virtual servers in Amsterdam, taking control of the platform’s online infrastructure and ending its cross-border operations.
According to a U.S. Attorney’s Office press release, US Government Seizes Online Marketplaces Selling Fraudulent Identity Documents Used, VerifTools offered counterfeit IDs for all 50 U.S. states and several foreign countries for as little as nine dollars, payable in cryptocurrency. Investigators estimate the operation generated at least €1.3 million in revenue, while the FBI has linked roughly $6.4 million in illicit proceeds to the platform.
The Dutch Police explained that obtaining a fake document could be as simple as uploading a photo and entering false information, after which VerifTools generated an image of the counterfeit ID. During the operation, the FBI posted a seizure banner on its main domain to mark the takedown and inform users of the action.
During the crackdown, authorities secured two physical servers and 21 virtual servers. The platform’s administrators have not been identified, but officials said the confiscated data will be analyzed to pursue possible arrests. In the Netherlands, charges against individuals who used false identification or counterfeit payments carry a maximum prison sentence of six years.
Politie, the Dutch national police, stated that “The entire infrastructure of the website hosted on the servers has been secured and copied” and that the data is now under investigation. The Public Prosecution Service has not ruled out future arrests, underscoring the cross-border nature of the case. The operation involved multiple agencies, including the EICD, the Rotterdam Cybercrime Team, the FBI and the Welsh police.
The case has drawn attention to the ease with which counterfeit documents can be produced and used to bypass Know Your Customer (KYC) checks, potentially facilitating bank fraud, phishing, benefit fraud, and other illicit activities.