The RCMP says they are aware of reports regarding an FBI investigation into the alleged exposure of tens of millions of drivers’ licences belonging to people in Canada and the U.S. being sold on the dark web. According to a report from Reuters, the FBI opened an investigation into the breach on Sep. 2, after an independent journalist reported that he had discovered a dark web site selling digital scans of millions of drivers’ licences. The journalist, Brian Krebs, said he was alerted to the dark web site after it was advertised on a Russian cybercrime forum, with his own driver’s licence allegedly being offered as a free sample. According to Krebs, the database, named Nexus, claimed to have licences, along with millions of other identification cards and travel documents, as well as hundreds of thousands of medical records from both Canada and the U.S. Krebs claims to have authenticated the identity of the data being sold with nine people before the dark web site vanished. According to Reuters, the breach, if confirmed, could be one of the largest-ever exposures of government-issued identity documents in North America. In a statement to CTV News on Wednesday, the RCMP said they are “monitoring the situation and remain engaged with domestic and international law enforcement and cybersecurity partners as appropriate.” However, they declined to comment on investigations led by international police service. The RCMP is encouraging Canadians to remain vigilant, monitor financial and government accounts for suspicious activity and report suspected fraud to their local police service and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. With files from Reuters
