FBI probes dark web sale of more than 153 million US and Canadian drivers license scans

WASHINGTON - The FBI said it is looking into a report that tens of millions of drivers licenses from the United States and Canada were offered for sale on the dark web, according to Reuters and cybersecurity journalist Brian Krebs.

Krebs reported that a service called Nexus advertised digital scans of more than 153 million drivers licenses, plus millions of other ID cards, travel documents and medical cards. The seller posted on a Russian cybercrime forum and used Krebs's own Virginia license as a free sample. Krebs said he confirmed authenticity with nine people whose records matched travel or rental dates on the image timestamps.

The trail pointed to idscan.net, a New Orleans identity verification company that says it handles more than 21 million checks a month for clients that have included Hertz, Target, FedEx, Motorola Solutions and Jack Henry. Infrared and ultraviolet scans in the stolen files matched how that vendor documents IDs. Idscan.net said it was investigating. A Caesars Entertainment spokesperson said the company was not an active client at the time of the incident.

Krebs said the FBI's New Orleans field office opened an official inquiry. In a brief public statement, the bureau said it was looking into the incident and could not comment further because the investigation is ongoing. Shortly after Krebs published, the Nexus site disappeared and displayed a message that the service was no longer available.

Security researchers warned that front-and-back license scans can help criminals open credit lines and locate people who rely on anonymity, including domestic violence survivors. Anyone who rented a car, entered a dispensary or otherwise handed a license to a scanner in the past year should watch credit reports closely.