OnlyFake creator describes AI fake-ID service after US guilty plea
Original title: The Confessions of an AI Fraud Kingpin
The Justice Department said the site made more than $1 million selling IDs for $15 each.
Yuriy Nazarenko, 28, told 404 Media how he built OnlyFake, a site that generated realistic photos of fake identity documents with generative AI. He said the service let customers produce scans that could pass human and automated checks used for bank accounts, cryptocurrency exchanges, and company formation. The Department of Justice said in its guilty-plea announcement that OnlyFake made more than a million dollars. Nazarenko, now living in Asia after a year in prison, also described North Korean fake IT workers using the service.
Unconfirmed: Claims about North Korean IT workers and the scale of use come from Nazarenko and are not independently confirmed in the excerpt.
- Nazarenko said he started by hand-editing passport scans in Ukraine.
- OnlyFake also produced photos of documents on sofas, carpets, or desks.
- He said the FBI later hunted him and shut down some competitors.
- He said he spent time in ICE detention after his US sentence.
Impact: Fake IDs used to bypass KYC and hide identities
- ATT&CK
- T1585 Establish Accounts
- Products
- OnlyFake
- Organizations
- Department of JusticeFBI
- Countries
- UkraineUnited StatesNorth Korea
From the original article
14 min read at 404media.co
Yuriy Nazarenko created ‘OnlyFake’, a site that let anyone churn out realistic fake IDs with AI. Then the North Koreans came knocking.
By Joseph Cox · 404media.co
A short excerpt; the article and its images belong to the publisher. Summary, key facts and assessment above are AI-written from the article and can be wrong.