Authorities Seize over 5,000 fake ID’s at the mail center
Authorities Seize over 5,000 fake ID’s at the mail center
Fake ID’s, or fake drivers licenses, are found everywhere in today’s world. Many college aged students use these fraudulent ID’s to purchase alcohol, consume alcohol, or to enter bars and clubs underage. With the vast growth of the internet, purchasing a fake ID is as easy as a push of a button.
Authorities are quickly trying to find a way to stop the sales of fake IDs. Police and teams are working together to bring down such vendors, or at minimum make the sales much harder to make.
Recently, border officials in Kentucky stopped a package containing over 5,000 fake ID’s. The confiscated package had a wide supply ranging from completed IDs (or IDs that contain full information including first and last name, address, signature, picture, birth date, and expiration date) as well as blank IDs (templates later used to produce IDs through the sophisticated process of printing information, pictures, and signatures onto the template IDs.
Out of the 5,000 IDs confiscated, about 2,900 of the fraudulent ID’s were completed IDs. These ID’s contained full pictures, signatures, and information. The remaining 3,100 or so confiscated contained blank ID’s that are assumed to be later used for production.
Although Oregon fake ID’s can be used for numerous crimes, these IDs all contained young birth dates and are believe to be used for underage drinking.
This package was intercepted in Kentucky and originated in China. The final planned destination was New York. Authorities believe that someone was importing these IDs to later be resold as well as manufactured domestically in the United States. The fraudulent documents contained both the new and older design and were mock ups of numerous states including New Jersey, Missouri, Florida, Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois.
In recent years, police have tried fighting the increasing number of Ohio fake ID’s both in circulation and in the incredibly fast growing market. Stricter laws, a new updated ID for every state, and added security features are just a few of the many ways authorities are attempting to combat this ongoing war.
Bars, clubs, and liquor stores are faced with much stricter laws regarding fake ID’s. Establishments can be shut down after the first infringement, and liquor licenses can be revoked for known establishments not following the laws regarding the drinking age. Many business owners are investing in more ways to stop fake IDs.
With a fake ID’s becoming more and more realistic looking, it can be hard to spot one to the untrained eye. Furthermore, many low wage employees are quick to judge ID’s and can look over many signs of flaw very quickly. Stores and establishments are investing in many new ways to both train employees to better spot fake ID’s, as well as added technology that can find errors or inconsistencies in fraudulent ID’s.
This is one of many big busts to combat the fake ID war. Although this package was stopped, it is believed many more were able to past. Authorities may have successfully slowed down the transaction this time, but it will only be time until another package is sent and not flagged in the mail system. It is believed that this shipment is in connection with many other shipments that have been flagged, searched, and halted. According to Louisville’s Border Enforcement Security Task Force and Chicago’s Tactical Analytical Unit, this shipment shared many of the same characteristics with other previously caught packages. Homeland Security confirmed the shipments to be labeled as interconnected.
