AI · SEMICONDUCTOR · FACT CHECK
SKD WIREMostly True
Counterfeit South Korean driver's licenses are being offered on illicit online marketplaces for as little as 20,000 won, part of a broader spread of cheap, AI-assisted criminal tools that lower the barrier to identity fraud and cybercrime, according to a report by Halcyon's ransomware research center.
The research found that forged driver's licenses are advertised at remarkably low prices, with the 20,000-won listing cited as an example of how inexpensive such documents have become. The combination of generative AI tools and established forgery channels has made it possible to produce convincing fake identification at minimal cost.
Beyond fake IDs, the Halcyon report describes a growing marketplace of "AI hacking" tools — AI-assisted software and services that help people with little technical skill carry out fraud, phishing and other attacks. The tools are sold at low prices, making entry-level cybercrime accessible to a much wider pool of would-be offenders.
For Korean authorities and businesses, the trend points to rising risks of identity fraud, financial scams and account takeovers using counterfeit documents generated or enhanced with AI. The full scope of the phenomenon in South Korea remains unclear, and the report does not quantify how widespread such listings are domestically.
The claim that fake driver's licenses are sold for around 20,000 won as part of a cheap AI-enabled criminal toolbox is largely supported by the underlying research, though the scale of the problem is not fully established — making the assessment Mostly True.
