OnlyFake creator recounts AI fake-ID fraud after guilty plea
Original title: An AI Fraud Kingpin’s Confessions
The Justice Department said OnlyFake made over $1 million selling AI-generated fake IDs for $15, and Nazarenko says North Korean IT workers used it.
Yuriy Nazarenko, 28, told 404 Media he built OnlyFake in Ukraine to automate fake identity documents, later adding generative AI so customers could produce photos of passports, licenses, and Social Security cards. The site sold documents for $15 and, according to the Department of Justice, made more than $1 million. He pleaded guilty, served about a year in a U.S. prison, spent months in ICE detention, and now lives in Asia. He says North Korean fake IT workers used the service.
Unconfirmed: Claims that North Korean IT workers used OnlyFake, and details of his conduct, come from Nazarenko's interviews.
- Hand-forged documents previously took him up to a week of editing.
- OnlyFake also produced photos of IDs lying on sofas, carpets, or desks.
- He says he destroyed his laptop and emails after the first 404 Media story.
- The article says the FBI later shut down some OnlyFake competitors.
Impact: Fake IDs used to open accounts and bypass KYC
- Products
- OnlyFake
- Organizations
- Department of JusticeFBIICE
- Countries
- UkraineNorth KoreaUnited States
From the original article
5 min read at 404media.co
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