Warning: Fake Passports For Sale On Scam Websites

Many of us have witnessed first-hand the difficulty and lengthy amount of time it may take to obtain a new legal Passport in some countries. Cybercriminals know this and they have created witty websites which have been discovered to offer an easy alternative to those difficulties by selling fake passport documents illegally.

Representatives at the security company F-Secure have discovered a primary domain, which has recently been taking offline, selling fake passports. Although the primary domain (mynewpass.com - DO NOT VISIT!) has been taking offline, other copy-cat versions of the site remain active. To our surprise, after viewing one of these criminal sites, the fake passports are selling for amounts from USD$650 to USD$1,000 which could be an enticing deal for someone who cannot obtain a legal passport for one of many different reasons.

It is not advisable, but, you can still find different versions of these criminal sites selling fake passports online by simply doing a search on Google. Selling fake passports is nothing new by any means. However, selling fake passports through cleverly designed websites is starting to be a common practice for cybercrooks among other modern-day malicious trends.

The cybercrooks that create these websites to sell fake passports go to great lengths to make them look legitimate. To support that notion, we have found instances of these sites to offer a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section that answers many common questions that one looking to purchase or obtain a passport may have. The FAQs even answer the question of whether someone can use 'their' document instead of a real one which reads like:

Can I use your document instead of a real one?
Answer: Yes, you can do it. To reduce risks we recommend you to use document duplicates service, i.e. cloning of the real existing document but with your photo.

The video below demonstrates how a hacker can easily clone an RFID passport.

Cloning RFID-equipped (Radio Frequency Identification) passports would not be a difficult task for cybercriminals, as you can see in the video above, but we have not yet verified 100% if that is exactly what they are doing in the case of these fake passport sale websites. Either way, computer users should avoid such websites at all costs. If you need a passport document in the United States, you should visit the Travel.State.Gov website and click on "Passports" at the top to obtain information on getting a legal passport.

Have you ever run across a questionable website offering or selling passports? Were you ever tempted to purchase a fake passport in your life?