Bangladeshi man indicted in US over online sale of fake ID templates
If convicted, he faces up to 15 years’ imprisonment on each count
A Bangladeshi national has been indicted in the United States on federal charges for allegedly operating illegal online marketplaces that sold digital templates of forged identity documents, US authorities said on Thursday (18 December).
A nine-count federal indictment against Zahid Hasan, 29, of Dhaka was unsealed in the District of Montana, according to US Attorney Kurt Alme. US authorities also announced the seizure of three domains used in the alleged operation.
Hasan faces six counts of transferring false identification documents, two counts of false use of a passport, and one count of social security fraud. If convicted on counts related to false identification documents or passport misuse, he faces up to 15 years' imprisonment on each count.
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The social security fraud charge carries a maximum sentence of five years. Each count also carries a potential fine of up to $250,000 and up to three years of supervised release.
The indictment alleges that from at least 2021 through 2025, Hasan operated online businesses from Bangladesh under the names TechTreek and EGiftCardStoreBD, which sold and transferred digital versions of forged government-issued identity documents, including US passports, US social security cards, and Montana driver's licences.
Customers allegedly paid using virtual currencies, including Bitcoin, with prices ranging from about $9 to $14 per document. Prosecutors claim that over a four-year period, Hasan received more than $2.9 million from more than 1,400 customers worldwide.
Court documents state that on 13 May 2025, Hasan accepted Bitcoin payments from an individual in Bozeman, Montana, and transferred or attempted to transfer fraudulent document templates to that individual.
As part of the investigation, US authorities seized three domains – techtreek.com, egiftcardstorebd.com and idtempl.com – which now display a law enforcement seizure notice.
Assistant US Attorney Benjamin Hargrove is prosecuting the case. The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Billings Division and the Salt Lake City Cyber Task Force, in coordination with the FBI's International Operations Division and the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Counterterrorism and Transnational Crime Unit.
US authorities said the charges are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
