Russian Ring Using Ex-Immigrant Data to Fuel Fake ID Sales

Telegram-Based Market Is Exploiting Gaps in US Tracking of Departed Visa Holders Suparna Goswami (gsuparna) • December 11, 2025

A Russian-operated darknet marketplace is exploiting a major blind spot for U.S. financial institutions by trafficking in the identities of former legal immigrants who held visas and worked in the country but have since returned home.

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Russian-speaking group Karma Fullz has built a profitable criminal enterprise by selling highly convincing synthetic identities of former U.S. visa holders - complete with Social Security numbers, clean credit histories and tax records, according to a report released Thursday by fraud prevention firm SentiLink.

Created in September 2024, the Telegram-based market offers three tiers of identity packages, with aged ex-patriot identities priced at more than $1,000 because of their rich credit histories and higher success rates for fraudsters. Scammers are using ...