On April 7 and 8, Dutch police arrested eight suspects in a nationwide operation targeting users of the VerifTools platform as part of an identity fraud investigation. The suspects, all men aged 20 to 34, are accused of identity fraud, forgery, and cybercrime-related offenses. During searches, officers seized smartphones, laptops, cash, cryptocurrency, and weapons or items resembling them.

How VerifTools operated

The case traces back to August 27, 2025, when the Dutch National Police, working with the FBI, took down the VerifTools website and seized its servers. Investigators spent months analyzing the data and identified 636,847 registered users between February 2021 and August 2025. They also found that 915,655 documents were generated between May 2023 and August 2025.

The data included 5,169 images of fake Dutch identity documents, including passports, driver’s licenses, and residence permits. Investigators also found 236,002 document images linked to the United States, purchased for about $1.47 million between July 2024 and August 2025.

Nine additional suspects were ordered to report to police. This group includes seven men aged 18 to 35 and two girls aged 15 and 16. Authorities said follow-up talks have been held with the two minors.

Police said identity fraud and forgery can carry prison sentences of up to six years. Officials added that even one-time users risk a criminal record.

Authorities warn on identity fraud

VerifTools allowed users to create fake identity documents by uploading a passport photo and entering false personal data. After payment, users could download the images and use them to conceal their identity. Police said the platform generated more than 3 million euros in revenue in its final year online.

“Identity fraud is the basis for a whole host of other forms of crime. Organized crime therefore makes grateful use of such tools. The images of the fake documents are also used to evade simpler methods of ID checks. From a simple check on the street to large groups of employees working without a work permit,” Frank van den Heuvel, head of the Rotterdam Department of Aliens Police, Identification and Human Trafficking (AVIM), explained.

The platform was used in crimes including phishing and bank helpdesk fraud. Authorities said it was also used to bypass identity checks, including Know Your Customer, or KYC, verification systems that rely on ID images.

“Where we see that fraud is occurring frequently in a specific sector, we are in dialogue with that sector to see what can be done about it. Or if a specific method is being misused, such as with KYC verification, we have entered into discussions with KYC providers to jointly investigate how to prevent that verification from being circumvented,” Ruben van Well of the Rotterdam Cybercrime Team said.

The investigation is ongoing, and police said more suspects may be identified as the analysis continues.