Story perspectives

FBI Opens Investigation Into Nexus Dark-Web ID Scans

9/6/2026

Summary

Story summary

The FBI’s New Orleans field office opened an investigation into Nexus, a dark-web service selling driver’s-license scans.
Nexus advertised scans of over 153 million U.S. and Canadian driver’s licenses and millions of other IDs.
Louisiana-based idscan.net, which serves Hertz, Target, FedEx and the U.S. Coast Guard, is suspected as the source.
Within 24 hours Nexus added 400 000 records, each with front, back, infrared and ultraviolet scans dated to match Hertz rental dates.

History

Historical Context

In May-July 2017 hackers exploited an unpatched Apache Struts flaw at credit-bureau Equifax, stealing data on 147.9 million Americans. The September 2017 breach disclosure led to FTC, CFPB and state actions and a multi-hundred-million settlement, prompting calls for stricter data-broker rules. In 2024 the FBI’s New Orleans office opened a probe of Nexus, the idscan.net service used by firms such as Hertz.

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Story summary

The FBI’s New Orleans field office opened an investigation into Nexus, a dark-web service selling driver’s-license scans.
Nexus advertised scans of over 153 million U.S. and Canadian driver’s licenses and millions of other IDs.
Louisiana-based idscan.net, which serves Hertz, Target, FedEx and the U.S. Coast Guard, is suspected as the source.
Within 24 hours Nexus added 400 000 records, each with front, back, infrared and ultraviolet scans dated to match Hertz rental dates.

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