IDScan is offering free credit monitoring and ID protection after leaking driver’s licenses
IDScan.net, an ID fraud protection platform, is offering free credit monitoring and identity protection services to customers affected by a data security incident, days after being linked to an FBI investigation into a dark web marketplace selling scanned identity documents. The company has not explicitly confirmed a connection between the breach and reports that its data was the source of the leaked IDs, though the timing strongly suggests a link. This matters because it involves highly sensitive personal data, including full names and government identification numbers, potentially exposing large numbers of people to fraud risk.
IDScan.net said an unauthorised third party may have accessed or copied customer information stored in its cloud accounts, noting that full access to the data required payment, and that it is notifying affected individuals while cooperating with federal law enforcement. The breach was first reported by journalist Brian Krebs on 1 September, who revealed that a dark web marketplace called Nexus had been selling scans of more than 153 million US and Canadian driver's licences along with millions of other identity documents; Nexus reportedly shut down ahead of the FBI probe, and Krebs' report named IDScan as a possible source of the leaked material. Engadget has contacted IDScan.net for comment on any link between the two incidents.
- IDScan.net offers free credit monitoring after a data breach.
- Breach may be tied to a dark web ID marketplace, Nexus.
- Over 153 million driver's licences were allegedly leaked online.
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IDScan.net is a US company that runs an identity verification service, used by businesses to check documents such as driver's licences when confirming who a customer is. It has become caught up in a separate story about a dark web marketplace called Nexus, which was reportedly selling scanned copies of more than 153 million driver's licences and other identity documents from the US and Canada before shutting down as the FBI began investigating.
Journalist Brian Krebs first reported the Nexus marketplace on 1 September and named IDScan.net as a possible source of the leaked documents. IDScan.net has since disclosed that an unauthorised third party may have accessed or copied customer data held in its cloud accounts, though it has stopped short of confirming a direct link between that incident and the Nexus leak.
This matters because the data involved is highly sensitive, including full names and government ID numbers, which can be used to commit fraud or identity theft. IDScan.net says it is notifying those affected, working with federal law enforcement, and offering free credit monitoring and identity protection to help limit any harm.