“There is no bypass": Deepfake detectors fuelling "frustration" in dark web fraud supermarkets
Would-be scammers are unable to beat new security checks and even their most "imaginative" tricks aren't working.
Dark web fraudsters are getting "frustrated" with banks' clever new deepfake detection systems, which are proving impossible to beat.
A new report from LexisNexis Risk Solutions has found that the criminals hanging around in marketplaces it described as "fraud superstores" are finding they are simply unable to get around the latest identity checks that are becoming standard in financial systems.
The new security systems require applicants to appear on camera. Banks can then run "liveness" checks that scan live footage of the applicant for blood flow and micro muscle movement.
Some scammers have even begun wearing latex masks to pass the checks, but their "imaginative attempts" to circumvent protections have failed.
This technology "presents specific hurdles for would-be fraudsters", LexisNexis researchers found, reporting that one dark web scammer said: "There is no bypass.”
Kimberly Sutherland, global head of fraud and identity, LexisNexis Risk Solutions, said: "The dark web is a de facto fraud superstore giving bad actors easy access to the knowledge and tools to conduct all manner of criminal acts.
"With these tools they can apply for bank accounts, overdrafts and credit, set up retail accounts and make purchases without fear of consequences.
“Many of the solicitations come complete with tutorial videos, showing ‘newbie’ scammers how it’s done, thereby creating a new cottage industry of amateur fraudsters across the globe.
"The good news is that we are not powerless against cybercriminals. As quickly as they adopt new technology it is increasingly apparent how those same AI innovations can thwart their activities.”
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What's being sold in dark web fraud-as-a-service superstores?
The study concluded that the dark web enabled large-scale criminality by making it easy for anyone with sufficient IT skills to acquire the knowledge and tools needed to defraud individuals and businesses.
Regulators and law enforcement repeatedly shut down illicit marketplaces, only for new ones to rapidly emerge and meet the unrelenting demand from the criminal underworld.
The report described how crime superstores have expanded to serve growing demand, offering everything from KYC-ready bank accounts that have already passed checks and “fraud for beginners” tutorials or plug-and-play scam kits designed to defeat modern anti-fraud systems.
In an ironic twist, the researchers found the dark web was "no safe harbour" for criminals, who often get ripped off by the sharks of this digital underworld.
It also found that criminal-on-criminal attacks were reshaping these marketplaces, as fraudsters fought each other for money, acces and reputation while grappling with the disruptive impact of AI.
Exit scams were rife, with marketplace administrators abruptly disappearing and taking users’ funds with them. Some marketplaces responded by attempting to enforce standards - banning known worthless products, barring bad actors, and publicly calling out scams - in a bid to reassure customers.
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LexisNexis also uncovered early evidence that some of these fraud markets were spilling out into mainstream social media platforms and becoming more accessible than ever.
Criminals are increasingly valuing convenience over secrecy, with “lighter” versions of dark web marketplaces offering similar products with fewer barriers to prevent customers from visiting.
Several marketplaces were found selling established email accounts and devices capable of passing basic fraud checks. Many also offer ‘fraud-ready’ bank accounts supplied with login details and pre-completed identity checks.
Sutherland continued: “The hidden nature of the dark web has appealed to the criminal underworld for more than a decade, arming and sheltering fraudsters from detection.
"Now we can shed new light, not only on what cybercriminals do on the dark web, but on the fraud controls they are least able to bypass.
"Fraudster feedback tells us exactly what interferes most with their criminal exploits: real-time liveness checks, account activity, phone and email analysis and device fingerprinting, to name a few.”
Read the full report: Fraud for Sale: Untangling the Dark Web
