Bruce Mandelblit
Monday february 3, 2003

According to a report by the General Accounting Office, undercover investigators were easily able to enter the United States from Canada, Mexico and Jamaica using phony IDs that were made using ordinary computer equipment. These agents determined that border officials did not realize that the holograms on their fake licenses were not genuine, and that the birth certificates they used had no watermarks.

Robert Cramer, manager director of the Office Of Special Investigations at the GAO, stated in his testimony to the Senate Finance Committee that his agents were able to enter the United States through ports of entry using fictitious names and counterfeit identification documents. “Immigration and Naturalization Service and the U.S. Customs Service officials never questioned the authenticity of the counterfeit documents and our agents encountered no difficulty entering the country using them,” stated Cramer.

Senator Chuck Grassley said of this GAO report, “What these investigators found is shocking. The agents on the front lines obviously need to be a lot more vigilant. Bouncers at college bars could spot the kind of fake IDs that were used by investigators.”

For details, log on to www.gao.gov.

Even if one is not proficient in using a computer to manufacture fake identification, they can easily obtain sham identification with a few clicks on the World Wide Web. Sadly, even post September 11, 2001, you can put the term “fake id” into almost any search engine and find dozens, if not hundreds, of websites worldwide claiming to sell so-called “novelty replicas” of various official credentials including drivers’ licenses, immigration documents, Social Security cards, birth certificates, college degrees, and even military and law enforcement identification.

In fact, according to a U.S. Department of Justice December 20, 2002 press release, federal prosecutors charged eight men for their alleged involvement in an international conspiracy to sell and obtain phony identifications documents sold on the Internet. Five convicted felons, including a child molester, allegedly sought bogus, but authentic-looking documents, with assumed names from the websites.

We more information, go to www.justice.gov.

In addition, there have been numerous media reports that in almost any large city, you can easily obtain, for a couple hundred bucks or so, high quality counterfeit identification on the street. In many cases, these bogus documents sold on the street may be used to obtain genuine government ID, especially drivers’ licenses.

If this was not shocking enough, other news reports have claimed that in certain states, a few corrupt motor vehicle office employees have accepted bribes to issue legitimate drivers’ licenses and state identification cards to those who would not be otherwise eligible to obtain such documents.

Who purchases fake ID?

The market is enormous. Everyone from underage drinkers and illegal immigrants, to felons and identity thieves drive the demand for phony identification. Today, we can add one more potential user of bogus identification - the terrorist.

The idea that fake IDs are just tools for teenagers to be able to drink is no longer valid. Bogus identification is a direct threat to our national security.

Sophisticated identification authentication equipment needs to be installed at all our ports of entry, as well as mandating the appropriate training for our border agents. Local law enforcement officers, who are the most likely of all officials to have contact with those using phony identification once they enter our country, should also receive advanced instruction on how to detect bogus documents.

In addition, enhanced security safeguards should be integrated into all official government documents, especially state issued drivers’ licenses and ID cards. Like it or not, the driver’s license has become a de-facto national identification card, so great efforts should be exercised to ensure the sanctity of these vital documents.

However, no matter how secure of drivers’ licenses become; no matter how many holograms, barcodes, computer chips and encryptions they have, if the fundamental documents used to obtain a drivers’ licenses are fraudulent, it will never be a secure identification document.

Simply put, regardless of how many high-tech safeguards are incorporated into any type of official identification, the IDs are only as good as the genuineness of the underlying documents, such as birth certificates, used to acquire them.

We do not have of luxury of time to point fingers or place blame in reference to the problem of phony identification. It is imperative, however, that the government officials involved, on all levels, with issuing and checking identification be extra vigilant, and have the equipment, training and resources to properly authenticate all credentials presented.

Bogus IDs are a genuine challenge to our homeland security that we must face, and hopefully defeat.

(Note: I am always looking for the newest and most fascinating security, safety and crime prevention related products to feature in future Staying Safe columns. If you distribute such items, please email me with details.)

Copyright 2003 by Bruce Mandelblit.

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“Staying Safe” with Bruce Mandelblit is a regular column for the readers of NewsMax.com and NewsMax.com Magazine.

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Bruce is a nationally known security specialist, as well as a highly decorated reserve Law Enforcement Officer.

Bruce writes Staying Safe, a syndicated weekly column covering the topics of security, safety and crime prevention.

Bruce was recently commissioned as a Kentucky Colonel -- the state’s highest honor - by Governor Paul E. Patton - for his public service.

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