OnlyFake builder says AI fake IDs earned over $1 million
First merged summary.
Yuriy Nazarenko told 404 Media he built OnlyFake, which the Justice Department says made more than $1 million selling $15 fake IDs.
Yuriy Nazarenko, 28, told 404 Media he built OnlyFake in Ukraine to automate fake identity documents, later using generative AI so customers could produce photos of passports, licenses, and Social Security cards. He said the scans could pass human and automated checks for bank accounts, cryptocurrency exchanges, and company formation, and that the site also produced photos of documents on sofas, carpets, or desks. The Justice Department said in its guilty-plea announcement that OnlyFake made more than $1 million selling documents for $15. Nazarenko 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 and that the FBI later hunted him and shut down some competitors.
- Nazarenko said he started by hand-editing passport scans in Ukraine.
- Hand-forged documents previously took him up to a week of editing.
- He said he destroyed his laptop and emails after the first 404 Media story.
- He said North Korean fake IT workers used OnlyFake.
- He said the FBI later hunted him and shut down some competitors.
What each outlet adds
beyond the shared facts- 404 MediaPlea, prison and ICE detention, laptop destruction, and claimed North Korean users.
- Products
- OnlyFake
- Organizations
- Department of JusticeFBIICE
- Countries
- UkraineUnited StatesNorth Korea
Coverage
oldest first · one row per article · UTC- · 6d ago
404 MediaFirst report
OnlyFake creator describes AI fake-ID service after US guilty plea
The Justice Department said the site made more than $1 million selling IDs for $15 each.
- · 6d ago
OnlyFake creator recounts AI fake-ID fraud after guilty plea
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.