Fraudsters are using AI to produce fake IDs before selling them to under-18s for as little as £12 – and experts say supermarkets, pubs and airports should be on ‘red alert’

Fraudsters are using the latest AI technology to produce batches of high-quality fake IDs in minutes, a report has warned.

Yoti, which provides facial estimation systems to British supermarkets and pubs to check whether users are over 18, said the fakes were so “sophisticated” they were difficult to spot.

The British company highlighted an underground website called Onlyfake that used the technology behind chatbots to create ‘highly convincing’ AI-generated IDs for just £12.

With 20,000 reportedly produced every day, research showed they were good enough to bypass an online trading platform’s strict verification system.

Security experts said supermarkets, pubs and airports should also be on red alert – warning that many were ‘woefully unprepared to deal with this threat’.

It has fueled further fears that known fraudsters could use them to escape strict controls and return to work in the financial world, or to convict perpetrators into working with children.

Yoti uses advanced facial estimation technology to determine a person’s age from just a photo within 18 months with nearly 100 percent accuracy.

Major British supermarkets – including Tesco, Asda and Morrisons – have already installed it in their self-service checkouts to ensure people buying alcohol are over 18.

In its first annual Identity Fraud Report, Yoti said its security center had recorded a noticeable increase in the number of forged documents and impersonation attempts over the past year.

They said scammers were increasingly taking advantage of “this low-hanging fruit,” which “allows someone to create a fake document image in minutes with little effort and cost.”

Recent research has revealed that an underground website called OnlyFake boasted of producing 20,000 images of fake IDs every day, which could be ready for order ‘almost instantly’.

Yoti, which supplies facial estimation systems to UK supermarkets and pubs to check whether users are over 18, said the fakes were so ‘sophisticated’ they were difficult to spot

For just £12 it provided an AI-generated photo of a US driver’s license with the name, biography, address, expiry date and signature the reporter had requested.

To make it look more realistic, the AI ​​also created a carpet background to make it look like it was taken into the owner’s home.

They then used it to successfully pass a strict verification process on a cryptocurrency exchange, which had appeared in several lawsuits due to its use by criminals.

On its Telegram account, the site boasted that it was creating up to 20,000 documents a day – fueling fears that the practice could streamline bank fraud and money laundering.

Suid Adeyanju, CEO of cybersecurity company RiverSafe, said: “Generative AI will fuel a tidal wave of highly effective scams and the reality is that many organizations are woefully unprepared to deal with this threat.

‘In the wrong hands, this technology will give fraudsters the tools they need to accelerate criminal activity and falsify documents, including bank cards and passports.

‘Supermarkets, pubs and airports should all be alert to highly convincing fake IDs and have the resources and training to detect them.’

Derek Mackenzie, CEO of financial and technology recruitment specialist Investigo, said: ‘Fake IDs can also pose significant risks when it comes to background checks and jobs in sensitive sectors that require security clearance’

He added: ‘Cheap, easy to use and fast; Generative AI is an incredibly dangerous tool in the hands of fraudsters.

‘That’s why it’s crucial that businesses of all sizes equip themselves with the latest digital skills, to help spot potential scams and keep criminals at bay.’

Yoti said it has cutting-edge technology to protect against fraudsters, such as a ‘liveness’ feature, which ensures that the person authenticating themselves with a selfie is really there and not using a printed or digital photo, video or mask.

The company said it also had a 150-strong team of ‘super recognizers’ it could call on if its computer systems were not completely secure, as well as a 24/7 dedicated anti-fraud team.