Dark-web market sells driver’s licenses harvested from car-rental scans, FBI investigates
A new illicit service called Nexus is offering high-resolution scans of driver’s licenses and other IDs, allegedly obtained within hours from a third-party scanning provider used by rental companies, prompting an FBI investigation.
A recently identified dark-web marketplace named Nexus is advertising more than 153 million driver’s licenses and a range of other identity documents for sale. The listings include high-resolution images of the front and back of the IDs, as well as scans captured in infrared and ultraviolet spectrums, which could facilitate the creation of counterfeit cards.
The service’s inventory also comprises identification cards, travel cards, international driver’s licenses, medical cards, Common Access Cards, residence cards, employment authorizations, and even marijuana dispensary cards. Some records label the source as “CDL” (commercial driver’s license) or “CAC” (Common Access Card), a government-issued credential for physical access to secure facilities.
KrebsOnSecurity reported that the data appears to be harvested in near real-time from a third-party scanning provider used by several rental firms. Within 24 hours, the number of driver’s licenses listed for sale increased by nearly 400,000, suggesting an ongoing breach. The scanning company, IDScan.net, based in New Orleans, confirmed it works with a multi-state dispensary chain and listed Hertz and eleven other firms among its clients. The company said it is investigating the allegations.
"The FBI is investigating," a KrebsOnSecurity report noted.
The rapid availability of the compromised IDs has raised concerns about identity theft and the potential for forged documents to bypass security checks. The Nexus marketplace disappeared shortly after the exposé, limiting public verification of which IDs are included, but the investigation remains active.