All about fake ID
We are comfortable with ID cards, almost too much so. A well made ID card will fool most ordinary citizens and even many in our law enforcement community. How many TN state troopers have ever looked at an Alaskan driver’s license to know if it was fake or not? Out-of-state licenses are often not scanned into other states’ computer systems, so it’s just a piece of plastic with the person’s face on it.
Many major universities have a cottage industry of fake photo ID businesses. It finances many students’ college careers and allows many underage people the opportunity to enjoy adult beverages at local bars in college towns.
What about illegal immigrants or non-residents? They start with a fake “Guatemala National Identity Card,” or similar, that can be used to cash checks, get a cell phone, or rent an apartment. Then, with your rent and phone bill documents, you can get a local library card. Then with that you can get additional identification documents and eventually collect enough stuff to get a real driver’s license. This is how you do it. I welcome any State Attorney General (especially Tennessee) to have a private and confidential conversation with me about this theory.
The worst case scenario is a fake Police ID card that allows a malicious person access to a controlled area, or a fake Hospital ID card that allows someone to access our medical facilities. Hollywood has portrayed both scenarios in blockbuster movies in which fake IDs are used to gain access to sensitive areas.
Several of the 911 terrorists had fake identification cards and driver’s licenses. How do we make our identification systems foolproof, or even how do we move them in that general direction toward foolproof?
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