Websites Cropping Up Offering To Sell Drone Operators Falsified Registrations

Aero-News April 1 Special Edition

AUVSI is warning about a new scam that offers to sell Fake Remote IDs to drone operators as the FAA prepares to implement the drone tracking system.

“This is a total scam,” said AUVSI president and CEO Brian Wynne (pictured).

The websites claim to offer technology that will operate much like a Virtual Private Network (VPN) on the Internet to mask information coming from a drone. “If it does work, it would require someone with a lot of technical skill to make it function properly,” Wynn said.

Some of the websites offer hardware solutions, and some are software based. Brad Hayden, founder of Robotic Skies, says either one would require some serious hacking to install.  “I don’t see how most commercial drone operators could make this work, let alone the casual hobbyist pilot,” he said. “And of course, only the most unscrupulous shops would hack into the system to do so. Not to say there aren’t some out there, but most people want to at least try to play by the rules.”

Wynne said that most of the sites are just trying to separate drone pilots who are upset about another government intrusion into their hobby or business from their money. “It’s unlikely they’ll actually deliver anything, but will try to get you to send them a credit card number. They have about the same credibility as a Nigerian Prince. The bottom line is ‘Caveat Emptor’,” he said.

FMI: www.auvsi.org