Israeli suspect allegedly used AI to steal identities and open fake bank accounts

Israeli police say a 20-year-old man from Tzur Yitzhak, Nicky Sokolov, is suspected of running a sophisticated identity-theft and bank-fraud scheme using artificial intelligence. Investigators in Lahav 433’s national cybercrime unit say he created synthetic identities, digital doubles of real people built from hacked databases, to open fake bank accounts and order credit cards in their names.

According to the police, the scheme exploited a remote account-opening process that banks have used in recent years, which relies on a live video, a selfie, an ID photo and a declaration of sole ownership of the account. Police say Sokolov, apparently with partners, used AI tools and AI agents to animate stolen identity details so they would pass those checks, then withdrew money and made purchases while concealing his real identity.

The investigation was opened secretly in January, and police say Sokolov fled to Thailand at the end of March after realizing they were closing in. He was located there, deported back to Israel last week and arrested on arrival. Police told the court that the case involves about 120 complainants and losses totaling hundreds of thousands of shekels, and that they had issued roughly 90 warrants in the investigation.

The Petah Tikva magistrate’s court in Rishon Lezion extended his remand on Thursday by one week, after Judge Guy Maimon said the case is “without any doubt an example of the future expected in the cybercrime world.” Police say the suspect, whom they describe as the “brain” of the operation, refused to provide the phone password after his device was seized. His lawyer, Iris Aharonov, said the investigation was still early and that he had cooperated with police, but the court found a “reasonable, substantiated suspicion” and said he remained dangerous and a flight risk.