In a US court, a Bangladeshi national has been charged with running websites that reportedly provided phony templates for identity documents such as passports, social security cards and driver’s licenses.
According to Montana District Attorney Kurt Alme, Dhaka resident Zahid Hasan, 29, is accused of nine crimes.
Three websites used in the operation had their domains confiscated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), according to a media announcement from the Montana District Attorney’s Office. These portals were allegedly used to sell the fake identity documents all over the world.
The selling and transfer of fake identity documents is the subject of six of Zahid’s allegations. In addition, he is charged with one case of social security fraud and two charges of using fictitious passports.
The FBI claimed to have identified a Bangladeshi national who was allegedly operating illicit online markets in a Facebook post.
A press release of Montana District Attorney’s Office said, Zahid Hasan, 29, of Dhaka, Bangladesh, is charged with six counts of transfer of false identification documents, two counts of false use of a passport, and one count of social security fraud. If convicted of transferring false identification documents or false use of a passport, as charged in counts 1 through 8, Hasan faces up to 15 years of imprisonment on each count. Social security fraud, as charged in count 9, carries a maximum sentence of 5 years. Each count also carries a maximum fine of $250,000 and three years of supervised release.
Zahid ran a number of websites from Bangladesh between 2021 and 2025, including “TechTreek” and “EGiftCardStoreBD”. He allegedly marketed fake government identification documents, including Montana driver’s licenses, social security cards, and US passports, over these websites, it added.
The fake documents were advertised for use in digital currency exchanges, social media sites, online bank accounts, and other online activities on these sites.
Customers paid using virtual currencies, including Bitcoin.
Investigators claim that a Montana driver’s license sold for $14.05, a US passport template for $12, and a social security card for $9.37. Zahid allegedly received $2.9 million from over 1,400 clients worldwide over the course of four years via the TechTreek website.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, Zahid received Bitcoin payments via the websites on May 13 from a person in Bozeman, Montana. Next, he attempted to transfer a Montana driver’s license, a social security card, and a US passport template.