Dark web service advertises 153M+ US/Canada driver's license scans; FBI investigating
A dark web marketplace called Nexus advertised digital scans of more than 153 million U.S. and Canadian driver's licenses. The FBI's New Orleans field office opened an investigation after security researcher Brian Krebs reported the listing. Per KrebsOnSecurity and TIME.
KrebsOnSecurity reported on September 1, 2026 that a new dark web identity-theft service called 'Nexus,' advertised on the Russian-language cybercrime forum Exploit, claimed to offer digital scans of more than 153 million U.S. and Canadian driver's licenses, over 10 million ID cards, more than 3 million travel documents, and hundreds of thousands of medical cards. The FBI's New Orleans field office opened an official investigation the same day. Krebs personally verified 9 sample records with friends and family; TIME has not independently verified the service's overall claims. The images appear to trace back to a suspected breach at IDScan.net, a Louisiana-based identity-verification company used by dispensaries, retailers and rental firms, which said it was investigating but has not confirmed the breach. Listings reportedly included the license of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The Nexus site went offline within hours of Krebs's report being published.