Field guide

Synthetic Identity / AI-Generated Document Fraud

How it works

The mass-scale creation of fake identities using AI to generate passports, driver’s licenses, selfies, and supporting documents that bypass KYC and AML controls. Fraudsters use services like OnlyFake or open-source AI tools to generate hyper-realistic documents for $15-50 each. These pass basic OCR and human review. Combined with mule accounts and prepaid instruments, they create fully operational fake personas.

On the record

In 2025-2026, AI-generated documents drove a 378% year-on-year surge in synthetic fraud attempts in Europe. OnlyFake successfully bypassed KYC on major crypto exchanges. Casino operators report similar document submissions.

Published as a detection reference for surveillance, compliance and gaming-operations professionals. Thresholds and tuning are set by the property. Nothing here is instruction — the method is described so it can be recognised.