OnlyFake founder recounts in his own words how AI forged documents began
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OnlyFake founder Yuriy Nazarenko told 404 Media that he went from manually forging passports with Photoshop to building a site that automatically filled in fake document information, and after generative AI became widespread he integrated it, ultimately creating OnlyFake. The U.S. Department of Justice says OnlyFake sold fake documents for $15 each and brought in more than $1 million; Nazarenko has pleaded guilty, served one year in the United States and was released, then was detained by ICE for several months, and now lives in Asia. He says North Korean fake IT workers have used the site.
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- 404 MediaAn AI Fraud Kingpin’s Confessions
Yuriy Nazarenko, creator of the underground fake-ID site OnlyFake, describes building a service that used automation and generative AI to produce realistic photos of fake identity documents, which the DOJ said made over a million dollars selling IDs for $15 each. In interviews after a year in U.S. prison and months in ICE detention, he recounts how North Korean fake IT workers used the site and how the operation grew faster than he understood its consequences.
- 404 MediaThe Confessions of an AI Fraud Kingpin
Yuriy Nazarenko, 28, describes building OnlyFake, an underground website that used templates and later generative AI to mass-produce convincing scans and photos of fake driver's licenses, passports, and other identity documents for about $15 each. The DOJ said OnlyFake made more than a million dollars, and Nazarenko has pleaded guilty and served a year in prison before ending up in ICE detention. He says North Korean fake IT workers used his creation and that OnlyFake helped unleash a new age of AI-powered fraud.
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