NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Federal investigators have seized an online marketplace accused of selling counterfeit driver’s licenses, passports, and other identification documents.

Investigators said they accessed the marketplace to buy counterfeit New Mexico driver’s licenses using cryptocurrency, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico.

“The internet is not a refuge for criminals. If you build or sell tools that let offenders impersonate victims, you are part of the crime,” Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison said in the news release. “We will use every lawful tool to disrupt your business, take the profit out of it, and bring you to justice.”

The FBI began investigating in August 2022 after discovering a plot to use stolen identity information to access cryptocurrency accounts. The investigation revealed that VerifTools offered counterfeit identification documents for all 50 U.S. states and multiple foreign countries for the cost of $9, payable in cryptocurrency.

The FBI has identified the equivalent of approximately $6.4 million linked to the VerifTools marketplace.

The FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the help of the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs. The Justice Department collaborated with investigators and prosecutors from multiple jurisdictions in this investigation, including the District of New Mexico, Eastern District of Virginia, the Dutch National Police and the Netherlands Public Prosecution Service.