OnlyFake Generates Fake IDs for Just $15

Journalists from 404 Media have discovered a service called OnlyFake, which claims to use neural networks and AI to create fake identification documents. Researchers tested OnlyFake and successfully passed KYC (Know Your Customer) checks on several cryptocurrency exchanges. The OnlyFake website is currently offline, and the service operators insist it is not intended for document forgery, calling such claims “complete nonsense.”

OnlyFake generates realistic fake driver’s licenses and passports for 26 countries, including Russia, the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia, and several EU countries. The service accepts payment in multiple cryptocurrencies, and each fake document costs just $15.

How OnlyFake Works

OnlyFake also offers clients options to make their forgeries even more convincing. For example, users can alter image metadata, which can be checked by identity verification services or individuals. You can specify which device supposedly took the photo (like an Apple iPhone 11 Pro or Huawei BKL-L09), the date and time it was created, and even fake GPS coordinates.

In addition to uploading your own photo, users can choose from a large archive of ready-made photos provided by OnlyFake. The operators claim these images are not AI-generated.

“The era of Photoshop document editing is coming to an end. Introducing document generator 3.0 – OnlyFake. It’s been in development for almost a year and a half,” reads an ad in OnlyFake’s Telegram channel.

The service claims to use special “generators” that can create up to 20,000 documents per day. The owner, known as John Wick, told 404 Media that hundreds of documents can be generated at once using pre-filled data from Excel spreadsheets. He says he started creating document templates about three years ago, and the OnlyFake generator itself has been in development for “almost a year and a half.”

Researchers note that the Bitcoin address linked to OnlyFake has received over $23,500 in cryptocurrency so far, but since the service accepts other cryptocurrencies, the operators’ actual earnings are likely higher.

Bypassing KYC and Crypto Exchange Checks

On Telegram, users share their success stories using fake documents to bypass checks on various crypto exchanges and services, including Kraken, Bybit, Bitget, Huobi, and PayPal.

John Wick also told journalists that documents generated by the service can be used to bypass checks on sites and exchanges like Binance, Revolut, Wise, Kraken, Bybit, Payoneer, Huobi, Airbnb, OKX, and Coinbase.

Joseph Cox, co-founder of 404 Media, personally tested these claims by creating a fake British passport with his photo and a California driver’s license using OnlyFake. “The [generated] image gives the impression that the ID is lying on a fluffy carpet, as if someone placed it on the floor and took a picture, which is often required for identity verification on many sites,” Cox explains.

Cox used the fake British passport image to pass KYC verification on the OKX crypto exchange. The exchange asked him to photograph the ID with his smartphone camera. This worked, even though he didn’t have a physical document. He simply pointed the camera at the OnlyFake-generated image on his laptop screen, and the system successfully recognized the passport and then asked for a selfie. His identity was confirmed.

Implications for Fraud and Security

“For fraudsters, the appeal of a service like OnlyFake is that these supposedly AI-generated fake documents can be used to register for online services that require identity verification. Various sites (banks, crypto exchanges), or even individual professionals (like lawyers or accountants), often require at least a scan or photo of an ID. Some social networks may also request identity documents under certain circumstances,” Cox writes.

Cybersecurity expert Abhishek Mathew, who has also monitored the service, told journalists that real criminals use OnlyFake for carding, creating fake bank accounts, and unlocking their crypto accounts, including on Binance, where identity verification is required.

The OKX exchange uses Jumio for identity verification. Stuart Wells, CTO of Jumio, told journalists that their advanced identity verification process uses tools to scan documents via mobile devices or webcams, allowing security teams to cross-check with trusted sources and reduce fake profiles and malicious activity.

When 404 Media explained that they had managed to bypass the verification process using a fake generated passport, Jumio stated they could only comment on their own technology, not OKX’s processes. OKX, in turn, responded:

“OKX strongly denies any claims, statements, or suggestions that it condones, accepts, or ignores fraudulent activity, and is actively working with internal teams and external partners to investigate these allegations. We are committed to fighting fraud on our platform and upholding the highest standards. Clearly, the misuse of artificial intelligence for fraudulent activity is an evolving industry-wide issue that OKX is working comprehensively to address.”

Is OnlyFake Really Using AI?

Although OnlyFake claims to use “neural networks” to create documents, journalists note they found no convincing evidence of generative AI tools being used. “I don’t know exactly what’s going on here, but I suspect they’re using some technology to insert/replace an image in a license or ID template,” Hany Farid, a professor at UC Berkeley and a leading expert in digital image manipulation, told the publication. “If they were using generative AI to create the entire document, they’d have trouble with background issues.”

Service Shutdown and Operator Statements

Interestingly, shortly after Cox’s article was published, the OnlyFake website went offline. In their Telegram channel, the service operators posted a statement claiming that reports of OnlyFake being used for document forgery are fake and “complete nonsense”:

“News reports say our generator is used for document forgery. That’s complete nonsense. It has never happened. At the very least, it can’t be used for document forgery. We want to remind everyone that we are against any illegal use of images created with our site. We are against fraud and causing harm to others. All images generated on the site are intended for legal use only.”

Another message from the OnlyFake operators states:

“Our team only created a tool for generating images and has never used it for illegal purposes. We have never accepted orders related to illegal activity. There are rumors online that the generator is supposedly used for money laundering. That’s not true, and users can confirm this. Also, we want to clarify that it’s impossible to forge a document with the generator. To forge a document, you’d need to recreate the hologram and many other security features from scratch, as well as have a template that’s 50 times more detailed than ours.”

The Telegram channel also reports that the site is undergoing “technical work” and should be back online by the end of the week, now with checks “to counter illegal activity.”