ISIS could sneak into Britain using fake UK passports

[Anthea]

ISIS terrorists could sneak into Britain using fake UK passports bought on the dark web

A HAUL of forged UK documents discovered on the secretive dark web have sparked fears Islamic State militants could get their hands on British passports or tech savvy fraudsters could open bank accounts.

The cache of documents uncovered by the research team at the University of East London included bank statements for Barclays and HSBC, British Gas accounts and hacked passports that could be bought for under £800.

The sensitive information, which could be used to order official UK documentation including passports, is available on so called ‘dark web’ sites – a secretive online network used by ISIS jihadis as well as people looking to buy and sell highly illegal drugs.

It is feared ISIS terrorists could use the fake documents to enter Britain undetected.

Researchers found over 30,000 illegal items for sale on the illicit marketplace including AK-47s, cocaine and methamphetamine.

Dr Sin Wee Lee from the University of East London said: “It’s scary that it’s so easy for anyone to organise and buy stuff to be sent to their home

“It’s so easy to get a user name and account and start buying.”

The research team discovered eight sources selling multiple UK passports within the dark web’s Agora marketplace during a 3 month investigation.

It unearthed there were £2million worth of illegal documents for sale on the site.

These included hacked and forged versions of British passports which could be bought for as little as £752.

A scan of a passport, giving fraudsters access to highly sensitive information, could be bought in bulk for just £7.

One passport on offer was marked as ‘custom’, leading to fears that fraudsters could be tailor making documents for their buyers.

The Agora marketplace has since been shut down, but that has not stopped new market places appearing within the dark web allowing black market traders to spread their criminal enterprises through to the online world.

It comes after the personal details of around 500 million Yahoo users were compromised in a cyberattack, the internet firm announced.

An investigation is still ongoing into the breach, which Yahoo said happened in late 2014.

Sky and BT – who are among a number of businesses who outsource their email systems to Yahoo – are now urging customers to change the passwords associated with their online accounts.

Hackers are believed to have stolen names, email addresses, phone numbers, and birthdays.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/713925 ... fraud-hack