Beware of Fake IDs
When police in Florida stopped a Jeep speeding at over 100 miles per hour in April 2019, they never suspected they'd find a mobile fake identification operation.
The Florida Highway Patrol troopers discovered several fake driver's licenses from other states, a driver's license printing machine, a printer and photo printing paper, two laptops and five cellphones.
In another case, federal officials seized nearly 500 fake driver's licenses at Philadelphia International Airport in August 2018. The fake IDs included licenses from more than 20 states, including Pennsylvania and were shipped from locations in Canada, China and countries in Southwest Asia.
"Counterfeit drivers' licenses have historically been used by those under 21 years of age for the illegal consumption of alcohol, but fake IDs have also been used in criminal enterprises, such as identity theft cases and immigration fraud," said Casey Durst, Customers and Border Protection director in Baltimore, Maryland. The quality of the licenses ranged from obvious fakes to very good quality that can be scanned with barcode readers.
Online companies specializing in creating fake driver's licenses make it difficult to spot fake identification cards. These companies boast that their IDs will pass the blacklight (UV) test and feature state-specific holograms. Their emails and websites are hosted offshore.
Several years ago, PennDOT added a new element on driver's licenses and photo IDs which allows businesses, law enforcement and notaries to spot fake identifications. The feature is designed to suppress the color spectrum "rainbow" of normal holography. The result is a black versus white hologram at high resolution. The black and whit areas reverse when the viewing angle is changed by 90 degrees. This is visible in bright, moderate and low-light environments.
Notaries must continue to be vigilant when checking customers' identification. If you believe the identification is suspicious, ask for a second piece of identification to see if the information, such as name and address, matches.
The Florida Highway Patrol troopers discovered several fake driver's licenses from other states, a driver's license printing machine, a printer and photo printing paper, two laptops and five cellphones.
In another case, federal officials seized nearly 500 fake driver's licenses at Philadelphia International Airport in August 2018. The fake IDs included licenses from more than 20 states, including Pennsylvania and were shipped from locations in Canada, China and countries in Southwest Asia.
"Counterfeit drivers' licenses have historically been used by those under 21 years of age for the illegal consumption of alcohol, but fake IDs have also been used in criminal enterprises, such as identity theft cases and immigration fraud," said Casey Durst, Customers and Border Protection director in Baltimore, Maryland. The quality of the licenses ranged from obvious fakes to very good quality that can be scanned with barcode readers.
Online companies specializing in creating fake driver's licenses make it difficult to spot fake identification cards. These companies boast that their IDs will pass the blacklight (UV) test and feature state-specific holograms. Their emails and websites are hosted offshore.
Several years ago, PennDOT added a new element on driver's licenses and photo IDs which allows businesses, law enforcement and notaries to spot fake identifications. The feature is designed to suppress the color spectrum "rainbow" of normal holography. The result is a black versus white hologram at high resolution. The black and whit areas reverse when the viewing angle is changed by 90 degrees. This is visible in bright, moderate and low-light environments.
Notaries must continue to be vigilant when checking customers' identification. If you believe the identification is suspicious, ask for a second piece of identification to see if the information, such as name and address, matches.
