KYC - Passports and documents for sale on Dark Web

[hiphophf]

There has been a huge influx of passport available for sale on the Dark Web.

Also have seen posts where people are being accused of double entry into ICO's because the scammers used their passport information prior to them getting signed up. 

[ronbt]

Are there any articles about this issue? Is then the nrxt step for ICOs only video call verifications?

[FinalFury]

That's horrible news. Where did they get these passports? Did they steal them in regular day life? Or is it from a hack? I imagine a hack, because what are the chances that some random everyday person had their passport stolen and at the same time was into cryptos and was going a specific ICO.

[stigmacryptonight]

I just heard this information now, is this really reliable information. From various groups there has been no such news.

[jimbo2000]

That's horrible news. Where did they get these passports? Did they steal them in regular day life? Or is it from a hack? I imagine a hack, because what are the chances that some random everyday person had their passport stolen and at the same time was into cryptos and was going a specific ICO.

Most probably from scam ICOs who are then selling the information of participants. KYC really needs to be controlled in some way to stop this from happening because data is valuable and people will always try to do this for as long as it's possible. There has to be some alternative to sending copies of your identification.

[secondgarlic]

Although there are not articles, it doesn't surprise me at all that this is the case. People who have no idea how trustable an ICO is upload their passports without hesitating, which makes simply no sense to me. I'd be really careful about any personal information online.

[JinCrypts]

This is no surprise for me, since there are alot of scams ico out there that requires KYC so that they have access to your accounts and info, KYC should really be not be tolerated in crypto since we value our idendity. (Hoping this is just a FUD since many of my relatives joining ico and applying for KYC.

[cryptopan]

There has been a huge influx of passport available for sale on the Dark Web.

Also have seen posts where people are being accused of double entry into ICO's because the scammers used their passport information prior to them getting signed up. 

That is why KYC shouldnt be required because our privacy might be compromised and our IDs might be sold to these cindicates who can use it in illegal activities,that is why i am not joining any of these KYC ICOs and bounty campaigns because i have used cryptocurrencies because i want my transactions be anonymous,anonimity is the first reason why i do use cryptocurrencies.

[cryptodagger]

Surely their passports where sold by the people who are conducting KYC's in the past,because there no way that they will join multiple times when they know that their ID has already been submitted,clearly someone has sold it in the darkweb or their computer might be compromise which in this case the first one would be the answer why,someone has sold the IDs taken from the KYC.This is thea reason i opt out to participate any of these KYC investments to protect my identity from these cindicates.

[2Pac]

Last year 50 percent of the icos run away. They've collected lots of Passport, id data.
Now they're selling those infos on dark web.

I don't invest in KYC icos.

[realsteve]

That's horrible news. Where did they get these passports? Did they steal them in regular day life? Or is it from a hack? I imagine a hack, because what are the chances that some random everyday person had their passport stolen and at the same time was into cryptos and was going a specific ICO.

.

Counterfeiting used to be really common but it might be a lot harder to do these days. Somewhat frightening if these are stolen passports going up for sale.

[mautenisis]

You can prevent this from happening by not joining any of these ICOs that will require you to undergo KYC processes because i dont think this is really necessary we are a decentralized community and we dont need to give our identity to these people because bitcoin's aim is to eliminate these type of centralization,your identity might be stolen like what happened to these people so be careful.

[Bergiolia]

There has been a huge influx of passport available for sale on the Dark Web.
Also have seen posts where people are being accused of double entry into ICO's because the scammers used their passport information prior to them getting signed up. 

That's the most tragic result when people do participate on any Cryptocurrency related like ICOs and bounties that requires KYC.
Personal identity will be required by the company to every participants and that would lead into trouble in the future and that's what I am thinking before and now they're happening.
I think organizers shouldn't require personal information on regulating ICOs because it will hinder them to reach their soft and hard caps because most investors today aren't really into KYCs

[Bergiolia]

Last year 50 percent of the icos run away. They've collected lots of Passport, id data.
Now they're selling those infos on dark web.
I don't invest in KYC icos.

I have no problem with KYCs because I never invest into ICOs, instead I'm going to wait for them to bump coinmarketcap.com and there I could place my buys and bids.
What I am worrying about is when the distribution of bounty stake tokens will require personal identity then our personal documents will be soon passed on the dark web and other places and companies that find useful.
That way we're not fully OK with KYCs.

[housebtc]

I aam not surprised about this, because I received alot of phishing mails about ICOs I never in heard about until they sent me their alert to me, I think something need to be done about the KYC issues, most of these ICOs don't have good security to protect investors information, so when hacked they lose most of these information to hackers which then move it to dark web, this is a bog concern

[DroidR17A]

That's why you should always do your due diligence (ideally) before you join an ICO and find out how they're managing KYC docs. There are companies that provide end-to-end encrypted services with instant verification. If they don't use one of those services, chances are, your data will be at risk.

I had to laugh at the AML Bitcoin team (and threatened legal action) when they asked people to send docs via email - not even a secure upload.

Be VERY careful folks, there are a ton of scammers out there harvesting DLs and passports via fake ICOs. Contact their support, ask them how they handle KYC. If they claim to use a 3rd party service, verify that the 3rd party is legitimate, and contact them to see if they are really providing that service to the ICO company.

Stay safe.

[MKH]

It is actually seen that most of the ICO company asking for KYC now to invest their ICO or join in bounty. It actually seems a little dangerous to me, because they can use it as a bad thing, it can be used on a bad site that can cause harm for us. So, I think it would be beneficial for everyone to make KYC a trusted company or through a certain authority and everyone will feel secure.

[cryptobobo]

That would the negative of joining these ICOs that will require you to send your passports and driver's license,this is the main reason why i dont really joining any of these projects my first priority would be my privacy because that is the main reason why i invested with cryptocurrencies so will have a total anonimity with my transactions,these KYC thing would eliminate our privacy.

[coinmgnet]

There has been a huge influx of passport available for sale on the Dark Web.

Also have seen posts where people are being accused of double entry into ICO's because the scammers used their passport information prior to them getting signed up. 

Yep. On one hand, KYC is very useful for ICOs and so on, but on the other hands, it gives scammers a way to actually take advantage of your private information.

[chocopapaya]

First off, you should provide links or evidence.

However, it what you are saying does seem to make sense.
Before it shut down, you could get ANYTHING on silk road.
It wasn't just weapons and drugs, but codes, identities, you name it.

The dark web itself, isn't an evil crime ridden place.
But the nature of it makes it so those with illicit intentions can thrive.

But the KYC problem has become out of control.
The worst situation is when an ICO handles it themselves, how can you trust identity security to a startup?
The better ones will hire a professional company to do it.
But the best of them all will allow face to face verification.
I have found, that a lot of times, I can do the kyc through video chat when I request.
Those who turn me down, I move on, there are tons of icos out there so I don't need to waste my time with a company that doesn't accomadate it's own investors.